THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NUMBER OF LEGISLATORS AND WELFARE

• Grant number: 17/07290-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: November 01, 2017
• End date: October 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Political Science - Public Policies
• Principal Investigator: Gabriel Cepaluni
• Grantee: Gabriel Cepaluni
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais (FCHS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Franca. Franca , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Umberto Guarnier Mignozzetti
• Associated scholarship(s): 19/14589-2 - The relationship between the number of legislators and welfare, BP.TT; 18/16647-7 - The relationship between the number of legislators and welfare, BP.TT; 18/16674-4 - The relationship between the number of legislators and welfare, BP.TT

Abstract

What is the effect of legislature size on human development? While the effect might be positive in countries where institutions work well, adding politicians can be harmful in countries plagued by corruption, clientelism, and other institutional inefficiencies. Using evidence from population discontinuities for city council size in Brazil, preliminary results indicate that additional legislators improve education and health care outcomes, and lower requests for conditional cash transfers. By investigating the mechanism that drives the results, we find that larger legislatures tend to empower the mayors, making it easier for them to implement their agendas. (AU)