Young Mayors and Municipal Social Welfare

• In Event: Comparative Politics is Local: Local Politics in the Comparative Perspective

Abstract

Does the election of a younger mayor matter for municipal policy? While there is significant empirical evidence that characteristics such as gender, race, class, and sexual orientation can influence the attitudes and behavior of political elites, we lack systematic research on whether age has a similar effect. To begin filling in this gap, I examine the impact of younger mayors on municipal spending with an original dataset of over 5,700 mayoral elections in Japan over the past 15 years. Using a regression discontinuity design, I find that electing a younger person mayor leads municipalities to change the age orientation of their social welfare programs: increasing expenditures on child welfare relative to elderly welfare. The effect is largest for municipalities with younger populations, suggesting that younger mayors are particularly responsive to the electoral pressures of younger voters. These findings demonstrate that the age of elected mayors matters for municipal policy and representational behavior, and add to a growing literature on the role of local political actors in citizens’ daily lives.

Author

• Charles McClean, UC San Diego