Political and economic trade-offs in the selection of collective institutions

• Department of Political and Social Sciences

In the framework of the EUI Political Behaviour Colloquium, this seminar features a paper presentation by Professors Alícia Adserà and Carles Boix.

Two separate literatures measure individual preferences over, first, democracy (relative to other institutional set-ups) and, second, economic status. We combine both research agendas to explore how individuals value (i.e. we benchmark the attributes’ importance with respect to the individual income) both the particular traits that define a society and their economic status in it. To measure these individual preferences, we implement an experimental conjoint survey design in Brazil, France and the United States in which individuals are asked to choose (and rank) between pairs of hypothetical societies. Preliminary results show that respondents value enjoying democratic institutions and public health insurance very strongly while individual preferences for a richer and more equal society are much milder. Individual’s concerns about their relative position are higher in France than in Brazil. Accounting for relative rank reduces the preference for individual income and increases the preference for country income in both countries.

The speakers will be presenting in person. Participants can follow the talk from Sala del Capitolo, although space is restricted to a maximum of 20 people on a first-come, first-served basis. The talk will also be live-streamed and participants will receive the zoom link once registered.