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Intra-partisan linkage and electoral performance in Brazil

Do Brazil's political parties matter in elections? The article focuses on this problem by analyzing whether a mayor's election influences his party's electoral performance in the same city. A regression discontinuity model (RDM) was used to identify the causal effect of mayors on their party's electoral performance in elections to National and State Deputies. The findings suggest that a mayor's election (even by a difference of only 1%) should increase the votes for the same party in the elections to both National and State Deputy. This result is interpreted as evidence of intra-partisan linkage, whereby mayors act systematically to help elect National and State Deputies from their own parties.

political parties; elections; party organization; decentralization; Federalism


Instituto de Estudos Sociais e Políticos (IESP) da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (UERJ) R. da Matriz, 82, Botafogo, 22260-100 Rio de Janeiro RJ Brazil, Tel. (55 21) 2266-8300, Fax: (55 21) 2266-8345 - Rio de Janeiro - RJ - Brazil
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