Voters, Policymakers and the Economy

Research project funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (POCTI/ECO/2001/37457)

Research team

        - Linda Gonçalves Veiga (Principle Investigator) - NIPE, University of Minho, Portugal.

        - Francisco José Veiga - NIPE, University of Minho, Portugal.

        - Henry Chappell (external consultant) - University of South Carolina, USA.

Objectives

        The project focuses on the interactions between economics and politics in Portugal, after April 1974. Two basic questions provided the starting point for the research:

        1) Do incumbent politicians manipulate the economy in order to maximize re-election probabilities and/or favour their constituencies?

2) Do voters hold incumbents responsible for economic performance? Do political forces play an important role in the allocation of grants from the central government to municipalities?

Funding: 7 000 euros (ref. POCTI/ECO/2001/37 457)

Project's duration: April 2002 to July 2005 Project's duration: April 2002 to July 2005

Main results

Articles in scientific journals, with referees:

- Veiga, Linda and Veiga, Francisco (2005), “Eleitoralismo nos Municípios Portugueses”, Análise Social, XL (177): 865-889.

- Veiga, Linda and Veiga, Francisco (2004), “The Determinants of Vote Intentions in Portugal,” Public Choice, 118: 341-64.

- Veiga, Linda and Veiga, Francisco (2004), “Popularity Functions, Partisan Effects and Support in Parliament,” Economics & Politics, 16 (1): 101-15.

- Veiga, Linda and Pinho, Maria Manuel (2004), “Análise da Influência de Factores Políticos na Afectação das Transferências Intergovernamentais em Portugal”, Revista Portuguesa de Estudos Regionais, n. 7, 3º Quadrimestre de 2004: 63-83.

Book chapter:

- Veiga, Linda and Veiga, Francisco (2004), “Economia, Popularidade e Intenções de Voto em Portugal: uma Análise Longitudinal com Dados Agregados.” In Freire, André; Marina Costa Lobo and Pedro Magalhães, Portugal a Votos: Eleições Legislativas de 2002, Imprensa de Ciências Sociais, Lisboa: 125-157.

Working papers submitted to scientific journals:

- Coelho, César; Veiga, Linda and Veiga, Francisco, “Political Business Cycles in Local Employment”, NIPE_Working Paper, EEG-UM, WP-13, 2005.

- Veiga, Linda and Pinho, Maria Manuel, “The Political Economy of Portuguese Intergovernmental Grants”, NIPE_Working Paper, EEG-UM, WP-8, 2005.

- Veiga, Linda and Veiga, Francisco, “Political Business Cycles at the Municipal Level,” NIPE_Working Paper, EEG-UM, WP-4, 2004.

Conferences where articles were presented:

- Annual Meeting of the European Public Choice Society, Durham – U.K., 31 March to 3 April 2005.

- Electoral Behaviour and Political Attitudes: Portugal in the European Context. Conference organized by the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon, Lisbon - Portugal, 27 and 28 January 2005.

- 44th Congress of the European Regional Science Association, Porto – Portugal, 25 to 29 August 2004.

- Annual Meeting of the European Economic Association, Madrid – Spain, 19 to 24 de August 2004.

- II Conference of the Bank of Portugal - “Desenvolvimento Económico Português no Espaço Europeu”, Lisbon - Portugal, 11 and 12 de March 2004. 

- X Encontro Nacional da Associação Portuguesa de Desenvolvimento Regional (A.P.D.R.), Évora - Portugal, 26 to 28 de June 2003.

- Annual Meeting of the European Public Choice Society, Aarhus - Dinamarca, 26 to 28 April 2003.

- Portugal a Votos I – Eleições Legislativas de 2002. Confererence organized by the instituto de Ciências Sociais - Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, 27 and 28 February 2003.

- XIII World Congress of the International Economic Association, Lisbon, September 2002.

Master thesis supervision:

- Candidate: César Alberto Campos Coelho

Dissertation title: "Ciclos Político-Económicos e o Poder Local"

Supervisors: Linda Veiga and Francisco Veiga

Programme: Master in Economics - University of Minho, Portugal

Date of conclusion: July 2004.

- Candidate: José Pedro de Lemos Alves Pinto

Dissertation title: "Segurança Social: Equidade, Eficiência e a Influência de Factores Políticos"

Supervisor: Linda Veiga

Programme: Master in Economics - University of Minho, Portugal

Ongoing.

- Candidate: Ana Maria Rodrigues Meireles

Dissertation title: "Instituições Económicas e Políticas e Crescimento Económico: Evidência Empírica Recente"

Supervisors: Linda Veiga and Francisco Veiga

Programme: Master in Economics - University of Minho, Portugal

Ongoing.

Ph.D. thesis supervision:

- Candidate: Maria Manuel Pinho

Dissertation title: "Three Essays on the Political Economy of Fiscal Policy"

Supervisor: Linda Veiga

Programme: Ph.D. in Economics - University of Porto;

Ongoing.

- Candidate: Maria José Andrade Pais Valente

Dissertation title: "Tributação do Património e Determinantes no Sucesso Político dos Governantes"

Supervisor: Linda Veiga

Programme: Ph.D. in Economics - University of Minho

Ongoing.

- Candidate: Palmira Cabral

Dissertation title: "Política Orçamental na União Europeia: Ciclos Político-Económicos e Interacção e Coordenação de Políticas"

Supervisor: Linda Veiga

Programme: Ph.D. in Economics - University of Minho

Ongoing.

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