TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Shigeoka, Hitoshi
AU  - Watanabe, Yasutora
        TI  - Policy Diffusion through Elections
        PY  - 2023/Jun/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 16275
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp16275
        AB  - Staggered difference-in-differences designs are pervasive in policy evaluations but little is known about the mechanisms of policy diffusion: How and why do such policies spread across jurisdictions? In this study, we highlight the role of elections in policy diffusion in settings where municipal elections are asynchronous due to historical reasons. First, we empirically show the presence of policy diffusion using neighbors' election cycles as instruments for neighbors' policy adoption. Second, we further demonstrate interactions of municipalities' election cycles with neighbors' adoption and show that they follow neighbors' policy only during their own election timing, indicating that policy diffuses through elections.
        KW  - policy diffusion
KW  - elections
KW  - subsidy
KW  - child healthcare
KW  - political budget cycles
        ER  -