TY  - RPRT
        AU  - Sandholtz, Wayne Aaron
        TI  - The Politics of Public Service Reform
        PY  - 2025/Dec/
        PB  - Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)
        CY  - Bonn
        T2  - IZA Discussion Paper
        IS  - 18346
        UR  - https://www.iza.org/publications/dp18346
        AB  - This paper provides experimental evidence on the electoral effect of a large education reform in a developing democracy. The reform significantly improved school quality on many dimensions (Romero, Sandefur, & Sandholtz, 2020). In this paper, I show that the reform reduced the incumbent party's pres- idential vote share by 2.1 percentage points (5%). The reform also reduced teachers' job satisfaction, support for the incumbent government, and political engagement. Electoral effects were positively correlated with effects on teachers' political engagement; the reform lost most votes where it caused greatest political disengagement of teachers.
        KW  - randomized controlled trial
KW  - elections
KW  - policy feedback
KW  - political economy
KW  - public service delivery
KW  - development
KW  - education
KW  - Liberia
        ER  -