TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Bauernschuster, Stefan
AU  - Blum, Matthias
AU  - Hornung, Erik
AU  - Koenig, Christoph
        TI  - The Political Effects of the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in Weimar Germany
        PY  - 2023/Jul/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 16291
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp16291
        AB  - How do health crises affect election results? We combine a panel of election results from 1893–1933 with spatial heterogeneity in excess mortality due to the 1918 Influenza to assess the pandemic's effect on voting behavior across German constituencies. Applying a dynamic differences-in-differences approach, we find that areas with higher influenza mortality saw a lasting shift towards left-wing parties. We argue that pandemic intensity increased the salience of public health policy, prompting voters to reward parties signaling competence in health issues. Alternative explanations such as pandemic-induced economic hardship, punishment of incumbents for inadequate policy responses, or polarization of the electorate towards more extremist parties are not supported by our findings.

        KW  - issue ownership
KW  - issue salience
KW  - voting behavior
KW  - health
KW  - elections
KW  - pandemics
KW  - Weimar Republic
        ER  -