Research
Working papers
“Party Factions and Candidate Selection”, with Jon Fiva, Giovanna Invernizzi, Carlo Prato and Janne Tukiainen.
We study how parties share power internally by analyzing the allocation of list positions to different factions. We develop a theory of intraparty bargaining in which list positions shape the mobilization efforts of party activists in different factions. Our results allow us to link observable patterns in list allocations to the importance of consensus in intraparty negotiations. We empirically evaluate these predictions using data from Norwegian municipal elections. We exploit a wave of municipal mergers to identify candidates’ geography-based factional affiliations. In line with our theory’s functionalist logic and consensus-based bargaining, smaller factions are over-compensated in safe list positions. While we also find a slight over-representation in the contested ranks, the relationship between size and resources is much closer to proportionality, as predicted by our theory.
“Pro-Social Preferences and the Paradox of Voting”, with Benny Geys and Rune Sørensen.
Why do people vote in large elections? Theoretical arguments to resolve this ‘paradox’ of voting often build on individuals’ pro-social motivations, which make turnout decisions less sensitive to the pivot probability. We use register data covering the entire Norwegian vote-eligible population to test the ensuing hypothesis that the turnout gap between more/less pro-social individuals increases with electorate size. Our identification strategy leverages population-size shocks from inter-municipal mobility, while we proxy pro-social motivations via individuals’ charitable donations. We show that increasing electorate size widens the turnout gap between more/less pro-social individuals, and that turnout of pro-social individuals responds less to population-size shocks.
“Universalism over the Life Cycle”, with Benny Geys and Rune Sørensen.
How individuals make trade-offs between socially proximate or distant groups impacts upon a wide range of social, political and economic behaviors. This article exploits detailed Norwegian administrative register data to study whether and, if so, how such ‘(moral) universalism’ develops as individuals age and go through major life events. We show that aging is associated with small increases in universalism in early adulthood, but with declines of increasing magnitude in universalism among older individuals. Major life events - such as starting higher education, first-time parenthood, positive income shocks, and retirement - have at best small and short-lived effects on universalism.
Work in progress
- “Scarred Generosity? The Effects of Job Loss on Charitable Giving”, solo-authored.