Ofosu Election Responsiveness Paper

by George Ofosu. The paper examines whether and how fairer elections promote democratic responsiveness, using novel experimental designs and 2,160 months of Constituency Development Fund spending by legislators in Ghana. The study finds that higher-quality elections increase the responsiveness of politicians, and that this effect is driven by incumbents' fear of voter sanction through intense election-day monitoring. The paper contributes to the literature on electoral accountability, election observation, and democratic responsiveness.