Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers

Bounded Rationality and Voting Decisions Exploring a 160-Year Period

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Bounded Rationality and Voting Decisions Exploring a 160-Year Period
David Stadelmann, University of Fribourg, Department of Economics, CREMA—Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts
Benno Torgler, School of Economics and Finance, Queensland University of Technology, EBS Universität für Wirtschaft und Recht, EBS Business School, CREMA—Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts

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ABSTRACT:

Using a natural voting experiment in Switzerland that encompasses a 160-year period (1848–2009), we investigate whether a higher level of complexity leads to increased reliance on expert knowledge. We find that when more referenda are held on the same day, constituents are more likely to refer to parliamentary recommendations in making their decisions. This finding holds true even when we narrow our focus to referenda with a relatively lower voter turnout on days on which more than one referendum was held. We also show that when constituents face a higher level of complexity, they listen to parliament rather than interest groups.

SUGGESTED CITATION:
David Stadelmann and Benno Torgler, "Bounded Rationality and Voting Decisions Exploring a 160-Year Period" (October 18, 2012). Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei Working Papers. Working Paper 721.
http://www.bepress.com/feem/paper721