Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs, Trade, Development and Political Economy present:

Ozlem Tonguc, Assistant Professor, Binghamton University

Buying Access to Influence

Authors: Ozlem Tonguc and Erkut Ozbay

Vote buying is defined as the exchange of particularized benefits (money, goods or services) for votes. This practice, although viewed undesirable in many voting environments, is widespread and it is usually carried out by middlemen who are more connected to voters. The authors theoretically and experimentally study the behavioral mechanisms that may sustain vote buying via middlemen in environments with high and low commitment possibilities.

Ozlem Tonguc is Assistant Professor of Economics at Binghamton University. Her research areas are Behavioral Economics, Experimental Economics and Political Economy. She holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Maryland.