Citation

Discussion Paper Details

Please find the details for DP1290 in an easy to copy and paste format below:

Full Details   |   Bibliographic Reference

Full Details

Title: Optimum Electoral Areas

Author(s): André Sapir and Khalid Sekkat

Publication Date: November 1995

Keyword(s): International Policy Coordination and Political Business Cycles

Programme Area(s): International Macroeconomics

Abstract: The paper lies at the intersection between the literature on macroeconomics and politics and the literature on coordination. It uses models of political business cycles in an open economy setting to investigate the costs and benefits of forming electoral areas, i.e. regions where countries share the same electoral calendar. Both opportunistic and partisan models are considered. The main finding of the paper is that the desirability of an electoral area between two countries is enhanced when the spillovers between these countries are large and positive, and when they face symmetric shocks (or are of comparable size). Hence, if a group of countries constitutes an optimum currency area it is also likely to be an optimum electoral area.

For full details and related downloads, please visit: https://cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=1290

Bibliographic Reference

Sapir, A and Sekkat, K. 1995. 'Optimum Electoral Areas'. London, Centre for Economic Policy Research. https://cepr.org/active/publications/discussion_papers/dp.php?dpno=1290