Work

Judicial subversion: The effects of political power on court outcomes

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Are politicians in power treated more leniently in court? We show that Brazilian mayoral candidates charged with misconduct are 65 percent less likely to be convicted if they narrowly win the election. Politicians play no direct role in the judges’ careers, suggesting that formal independence does not completely insulate the judiciary from political influence. The effect is driven by districts with few judges and by judges with higher career instability.

Source: Journal of Public Economics

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2022.104788

Authors: Guilherme Lambais, Henrik Sigstad

Institutions: University of Lisbon, Instituto de Ciências Sociais da Universidade de Lisboa, BI Norwegian Business School

Language: English

Topic: Judicial and Constitutional Studies

Subfield: Law

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $2,800