Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-42gr6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-15T17:01:16.530Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Party System Institutionalization, Accountability and Governmental Corruption

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 March 2016

Petra Schleiter  and
Alisa Voznaya
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Why do repeated elections often fail to curb governmental corruption, even in full democracies? While much of the comparative literature on corruption focuses on the institutional features of democracies, this article argues that party system institutionalization is an additional and neglected factor in explaining why corruption may persist in the context of democratic elections. Under-institutionalized party systems impede accountability. They compromise the capacity of voters to attribute responsibility and undermine electoral co-ordination to punish incumbents for corruption. These expectations are tested by combining a controlled comparative study of eighty democracies around the world with an examination of the causal process in a case study of Panama. The findings suggest that party system institutionalization powerfully shapes the scope for governmental corruption.

Type
Articles
Information
British Journal of Political Science , Volume 48 , Issue 2 , April 2018 , pp. 315 - 342
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

*

Schleiter is at the Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford (email: petra.schleiter@politics.ox.ac.uk); Voznaya is a former Doctoral Student, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford. The authors gratefully acknowledge the advice of Phil Keefer, Matt Loveless, Edward Morgan-Jones, Bo Rothstein, Margit Tavits and Paul Whiteley on earlier versions of this article. They also thank the Editors and the anonymous reviewers for their guidance and feedback. Thanks are also due to Scott Mainwaring, Annabella España and Carlos Gervasoni, who kindly shared their data on electoral volatility, and to the Library of the Electoral Tribunal of the Republic of Panama for making data on elections available. Previous versions of this manuscript were presented in research seminars at the SPIR (University of Kent at Canterbury), the University of Durham and the Quality of Government Institute (University of Gothenburg). Data replication sets available at https://dataverse.harvard.edu/dataverse/BJPolS and online appendices at http://dx.doi.org/doi: 10.1017/S0007123415000770.

References

List of References

Adsera, Alicia, Boix, Carles, and Payne, Mark. 2003. Are You Being Served? Political Accountability and Quality of Government. Journal of Law, Economics, and Organisation 19 (2):445–490.Google Scholar
Afrobarometer. 2006. The Status of Democracy, 2005–2006: Findings from Afrobarometer Round 3 for 18 Countries. Afrobarometer Briefing Paper 40. Available from http://afrobarometer.org/publications/afrobarometer-briefing-papers/item/231-the-status-of-democracy-2005-2006-findings-from-afrobarometer-round-3-for-18-countries, accessed 18 May 2011.Google Scholar
Alesina, Alberto, Devleeschauwer, Arnaud, Easterly, William, Kurlat, Sergio, and Wacziarg, Romain. 2003. Fractionalization. Journal of Economic Growth 8 (2):155–194.Google Scholar
Amorim Neto, Octavio, and Cox, Gary. 1997. Electoral Institutions, Cleavage Structures, and the Number of Parties. American Journal of Political Science 41 (1):149–174.Google Scholar
Bartolini, Stefano, and Mair, Peter. 1990. Policy Competition, Spatial Distance and Electoral Instability. West European Politics 13 (4):1–16.Google Scholar
Beck, Thorsten, Clarke, George, Groff, Alberto, Keefer, Philip, and Walsh, Patrick. 2001. New Tools in Comparative Political Economy: The Database of Political Institutions. The World Bank Economic Review 15 (1):165–176.Google Scholar
Berry, William D., Golder, Matt, and Milton, Daniel. 2012. Improving Tests of Theories Positing Interaction. Journal of Politics 74 (3):653–671.Google Scholar
Besley, Timothy, and Case, Anne. 1995. Does Political Accountability Affect Economic Policy Choices? Evidence from Gubernatorial Term Limits. Quarterly Journal of Economics 110 (3):769–798.Google Scholar
Besley, Timothy, and Larcinese, Valentino. 2011. Working or Shirking? Expenses and Attendance in the UK Parliament. Public Choice 146 (3–4):291–317.Google Scholar
Birch, Sarah. 2003. Electoral Systems and Political Transformation in Postcommunist Europe. Basingstoke, Berks: Palgrave.Google Scholar
Bleck, Jaimie, and Van de Walle, Nicolas. 2013. Valence Issues in African Elections Navigating Uncertainty and the Weight of the Past. Comparative Political Studies 46 (11):1394–1421.Google Scholar
Boix, Carles. 2007. The Emergence of Parties and Party Systems. Pp. 499–521 in The Oxford Handbook of Comparative Politics, edited by Carles Boix and Susan C. Stokes. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Chang, Eric, and Golden, Miriam. 2006. Electoral Systems, District Magnitude and Corruption. British Journal of Political Science 37 (1):115–137.Google Scholar
Chang, Eric, Golden, Miriam, and Hill, Seth. 2010. Legislative Malfeasance and Political Accountability. World Politics 62 (2):177–220.Google Scholar
Clarke, Kevin A., and Stone, Randall W.. 2008. Democracy and the Logic of Political Survival. American Political Science Review 102 (3):387–392.Google Scholar
Croissant, Aurel, and Vӧlkel, Philip. 2012. Party System Types and Party System Institutionalization: Comparing New Democracies in East and Southeast Asia. Party Politics 18:235–265.Google Scholar
Della Porta, Donatella. 2004. Political Parties and Corruption: Ten Hypotheses on Five Vicious Circles. Crime, Law and Social Change 42 (1):35–60.Google Scholar
Eggers, Andrew, and Fisher, Alexander. 2011. Electoral Accountability and the UK Parliamentary Expenses Scandal: Did Voters Punish Corrupt MPs? Political Science and Political Economy Working Paper 8/2011, London School of Economics, London.Google Scholar
Ferejohn, John. 1986. Incumbent Performance and Electoral Control. Public Choice 50 (1):5–25.Google Scholar
Figlio, David N. 2000. Political Shirking, Opponent Quality, and Electoral Support. Public Choice 103 (3–4):271–284.Google Scholar
Fisman, Raymond, and Gatti, Roberta. 2002. Decentralization and Corruption: Evidence Across Countries. Journal of Public Economics 83 (3):325–345.Google Scholar
Gallagher, Michael, and Mitchell, Paul. 2008. The Politics of Electoral Systems. Oxford: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Gerring, John, and Thacker, Strom C.. 2004. Political Institutions and Corruption: The Role of Unitarism and Parliamentarism. British Journal of Political Science 34 (2):295–330.Google Scholar
Gerring, John, and Thacker, Strom C.. 2005. Do Neoliberal Policies Deter Political Corruption? International Organization 59 (1):233–254.Google Scholar
Giliomee, Hermann. 1998. South Africa’s Emerging Dominant Party Regime. Journal of Democracy 9 (4):128–142.Google Scholar
Golder, Matthew. 2005. Democratic Electoral Systems Around the World: 1945–2000. Electoral Studies 24 (1):103–121.Google Scholar
Golder, Matthew, and Lloyd, Gabriella. 2014. Re-evaluating the Relationship between Electoral Rules and Ideological Congruence. European Journal of Political Research 53 (1):200–212.Google Scholar
Guevara Mann, Carlos. 2000. Patronage Distribution, Party Switching, and Electoral Manipulation by Panamanian Legislators: The Electoral Connection. Latin American Studies Association, Miami, Fla.Google Scholar
Guevara Mann, Carlos. 2011. Political Careers, Corruption, and Impunity. Notre Dame, Ind.: Notre Dame University Press.Google Scholar
Hassan, Mazen. 2011. Determinants of Party System Institutionalization in New Democracies: A Cross-National Study, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford, Oxford.Google Scholar
Hug, Simon. 2000. Studying the Electoral Success of New Political Parties: A Methodological Note. Party Politics 6 (2):187–197.Google Scholar
Jones, Michael. 2005. The Role of Parties and Party Systems in the Policymaking Process. Workshop on State Reform, Public Policies and Policymaking Processes. Inter-American Development Bank, Washington, D.C. Available from http://www.iadb.org/res/publications/pubfiles/pubs-310.pdf, accessed 3 June 2012.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, Daniel, and Kraay, Art. 2002. Growth without Governance. Work Bank Policy Research Working Paper 2928, World Bank, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, Daniel, Kraay, Art, and Mastruzzi, Massimo. 2002. Governance Matters II: Updated Indicators for 2000/01. Work Bank Policy Research Working Paper 2772, World Bank, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, Daniel, Kraay, Art, and Mastruzzi, Massimo. 2007. The Worldwide Governance Indicators Project: Answering the Critics. Work Bank Policy Research Working Paper 4149, World Bank, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Kaufmann, Daniel, Kraay, Art, and Mastruzzi, Massimo. 2010. The Worldwide Governance Indicators: Methodology and Analytical Issues. Work Bank Policy Research Working Paper 5430, World Bank, Washington, D.C.Google Scholar
Keefer, Philip. 2011. Collective Action, Political Parties and Pro-Development Public Policy. Asian Development Review 28 (1):94–118.Google Scholar
Keefer, Philip, and Stasavage, David. 2003. The Limits of Delegation: Veto Players, Central Bank Independence, and the Credibility of Monetary Policy. American Political Science Review 97 (3):407–423.Google Scholar
Key, Valdimer Orlando. 1936. Techniques of Political Graft in the United States. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.Google Scholar
Kiewiet, D. Roderick, and Zeng, Langche. 1993. An Analysis of Congressional Career Decisions, 1947–1986. American Political Science Review 87 (4):928–941.Google Scholar
Kuenzi, Michelle, and Lambright, Gina. 2001. Party System Institutionalization in 30 African Countries. Party Politics 7 (4):437–468.Google Scholar
Kuenzi, Michelle, and Lambright, Gina. 2005. Party Systems and Democratic Consolidation in Africa’s Electoral Regimes. Party Politics 11 (4):423–446.Google Scholar
Kunicova, Jana, and Rose-Ackerman, Susan. 2005. Electoral Rules and Constitutional Structures as Constraints on Corruption. British Journal of Political Science 35 (4):573–606.Google Scholar
Kurer, Oskar. 2001. Why Do Voters Support Corrupt Politicians. Pp. 63–86 in The Political Economy of Corruption, edited by Arvin K. Jain. London: Routledge.Google Scholar
LAPOP. 2010. The Americas Barometer. Available from www.LapopSurveys.org, accessed 10 January 2013.Google Scholar
Latinobarometro. 2008. Santiago. Available from http://www.latinobarometro.org/docs/INFORME_LATINOBAROMETRO_2008.pdf, accessed 14 December 2012.Google Scholar
Lieberman, Evan. 2005. Nested Analysis as a Mixed-Method Strategy for Comparative Research. American Political Science Review 99 (3):435–452.Google Scholar
Lindstädt, René, and Vander Wielen, Ryan J.. 2011. Timely Shirking: Time-Dependent Monitoring and its Effects on Legislative Behavior in the US Senate. Public Choice 148 (1–2):119–148.Google Scholar
Mainwaring, Scott. 1993. Presidentialism, Multipartism, and Democracy. Comparative Political Studies 26 (2):198–228.Google Scholar
Mainwaring, Scott, Espana, Annabella, and Gervasoni, Carlos. 2009. Extra System Electoral Volatility and the Vote Share of Young Parties. Annual Meeting of the Canadian Political Science Association, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada.Google Scholar
Mainwaring, Scott, and Scully, Timothy, eds. 1995. Building Democratic Institutions: Party Systems in Latin America. Stanford, Calif.: Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Mainwaring, Scott, and Torcal, Mariano. 2006. Party System Institutionalization and Party System Theory after the Third Wave of Democratization. Pp. 204–227 in Handbook of Political Parties, edited by Richard Katz and William J. Crotty. London: Sage Publishers.Google Scholar
Mainwaring, Scott, and Zoco, Edurne. 2007. Political Sequences and the Stabilization of Interparty Competition Electoral Volatility in Old and New Democracies. Party Politics 13 (2):155–178.Google Scholar
Montinola, Gabriela, and Jackman, Robert. 2002. Sources of Corruption: A Cross-Country Study. British Journal of Political Science 32 (1):147–170.Google Scholar
Moore, Michael K., and Hibbing, John R.. 1998. Situational Dissatisfaction in Congress: Explaining Voluntary Departures. Journal of Politics 60 (4):1088–1107.Google Scholar
Moser, Robert G., and Scheiner, Ethan. 2012. Electoral Systems and Political Context: How the Effects of Rules Vary across New and Established Democracies. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Parker, Glenn R., and Powers, Stephen C.. 2002. Searching for Symptoms of Political Shirking: Congressional Foreign Travel. Public Choice 110 (1–2):173–191.Google Scholar
Payne, J. Mark, Zovatto G., Daniel, Flores, Fernando Carillo, and Zavala, Andres Allamand. 2002. Democracies in Development: Politics and Reform in Latin America. Washington, D.C.: The Inter-American Development Bank.Google Scholar
Perez, Orlando. 2000. Post-Invasion Panama: The Challenges of Democratization in the New World Order. Oxford: Lexington Books.Google Scholar
Persson, Anna, Rothstein, Bo, and Teorell, Jan. 2010. The Failure of Anti-Corruption Policies: A Theoretical Mischaracterization of the Problem. QoG Working Paper Series, Gothenburg, Sweden.Google Scholar
Persson, Torsten, and Tabellini, Guido. 2003. The Economic Effects of Constitutions. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Powell, G. Bingham. 2000. Elections as Instruments of Democracy: Majoritarian and Proportional Visions. London: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Reed, Steven R. 1999. Political Reform in Japan: Combining Scientific and Historical Analysis. Social Science Japan Journal 2 (2):177–193.Google Scholar
Regan, Patrick, and Clark, Dave. 2010. The Institutions and Elections Project. Dataset available from Political Science Department, Binghamton University, New York.Google Scholar
Reporters without Borders. 2011. Available from http://en.rsf.org/report-panama,186.html; http://en.rsf.org/report-uruguay,194.html, accessed 12 May 2012.Google Scholar
Roberts, Kenneth M., and Wibbels, Erik. 1999. Party Systems and Electoral Volatility in Latin America: A Test of Economic, Institutional, and Structural Explanations. American Political Science Review 93 (3):575–590.Google Scholar
Rocamora, Joel. 1998. Philippine Political Parties, Electoral System and Political Reform. Philippines International Review 1 (1):1–10.Google Scholar
Rose, Richard, Munro, Neil, and White, Stephen. 2001. Voting in a Floating Party System: The 1999 Duma Election. Europe–Asia Studies 53 (3):419–443.Google Scholar
Rothenberg, Lawrence S., and Sanders, Mitchell S.. 2000. Severing the Electoral Connection: Shirking in the Contemporary Congress. American Journal of Political Science 44 (2):316–325.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Samuels, David, and Shugart, Matthew Soberg. 2010. Presidents, Parties, and Prime Ministers: How the Separation of Powers Affects Party Organization and Behavior. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Sanchez, Omar. 2008. Transformation and Decay: The De-Institutionalization of Party Systems in South America. Third World Quarterly 29 (2):315–337.Google Scholar
Schedler, Andreas. 1995. Under- and Overinstitutionalization: Some Ideal Typical Propositions Concerning New and Old Party Systems. Kellogg Institute Working Papers, University of Notre Dame.Google Scholar
Schedler, Andreas. 1999. Conceptualizing Accountability. Pp. 13–28 in The Self-Restraining State, edited by Andreas Schedler, Larry Diamond and Marc F. Plattner. Boulder, Colo: Lynne Rienner Publishers.Google Scholar
Scheiner, Ethan. 2005. Pipelines of Pork: Japanese Politics and a Model of Local Opposition Party Failure. Comparative Political Studies 38 (7):799–823.Google Scholar
Shabad, Goldie, and Slomczynski, Kazimierz M.. 2004. Inter-Party Mobility among Parliamentary Candidates in Post-Communist East Central Europe. Party Politics 10 (2):151–176.Google Scholar
Sikk, Allan. 2005. How Unstable? Volatility and the Genuinely New Parties in Eastern Europe. European Journal of Political Research 44 (3):391–412.Google Scholar
Sovey, Allison, and Green, Donald. 2011. Instrumental Variables Estimation in Political Science: A Readers’ Guide. American Journal of Political Science 55 (1):188–200.Google Scholar
Stokes, Susan C. 2001. Mandates and Democracy: Neoliberalism by Surprise in Latin America. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Svolik, Milan. 2008. Authoritarian Reversals and Democratic Consolidation. American Political Science Review 102 (2):153–168.Google Scholar
Tavits, Margit. 2007. Clarity of Responsibility and Corruption. American Journal of Political Science 51 (1):219–229.Google Scholar
Tavits, Margit. 2008a. On the Linkage between Electoral Volatility and Party System Instability in Central and Eastern Europe. European Journal of Political Research 47 (5):537–555.Google Scholar
Tavits, Margit. 2008b. The Role of Parties’ Past Behavior in Coalition Formation. American Political Science Review 102 (4):495–507.Google Scholar
Tavits, Margit. 2011. Power within Parties: The Strength of the Local Party and MP Independence in Postcommunist Europe. American Journal of Political Science 55 (4):923–936.Google Scholar
Tavits, Margit. 2013. Post-Communist Democracies and Party Organization. Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Teehankee, Julio. 2006. Consolidation or Crisis of Clientelistic Democracy? The 2004 Synchronized Elections in the Philippines. Pp. 215–276 in Between Consolidation and Crisis: Elections and Democracy in Five Nations in Southeast Asia, edited by Aurel Croissant and Beate Martin. Berlin: Lit Verlag.Google Scholar
Theriault, Sean M. 1998. Moving Up or Moving Out: Career Ceiling and Congressional Retirement. Legislative Studies Quarterly 23 (3):419–433.Google Scholar
Transparency International. 2013. Global Corruption Barometer. Available from http://www.transparency.org/gcb2013/report, accessed 2 June 2014.Google Scholar
Treisman, Daniel. 2000. The Causes of Corruption: A Cross-National Study. Journal of Public Economics 76 (3):399–457.Google Scholar
Treisman, Daniel. 2007. What Have We Learned about the Causes of Corruption from Ten Years of Cross-National Empirical Research? Annual Review of Political Science 10 (1):211–244.Google Scholar
Ufen, Andreas. 2007. Political Party and Party System Institutionalization in Southeast Asia: A Comparison of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. GIGA Working Paper Series 44:1–30.Google Scholar
Wooldridge, Jeffrey M. 2002. Econometric Analysis of Cross Section and Panel Data. Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press.Google Scholar
Welch, Susan, and Hibbing, John R.. 1997. The Effects of Charges of Corruption on Voting Behavior in Congressional Elections, 1982–1990. Journal of Politics 59 (1):226–239.Google Scholar
Zielinski, Jakub, Slomczynski, Kazimierz M., and Shabad, Goldie. 2005. Electoral Control in New Democracies: The Perverse Incentives of Fluid Party Systems. World Politics 57 (3):365–395.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: Link

Schleiter and Voznaya Dataset

Dataset

https://dx.doi.org/10.7910/DVN/O9TFAQ
Link
Supplementary material: File

Schleiter and Voznaya supplementary material

Appendix

Download Schleiter and Voznaya supplementary material(File)
File 49.1 KB