Relative age effects in political selection |
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Affiliation: | 1. Department of Government, London School of Economics and Political Science, Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK;2. VATT Institute for Economic Research; Arkadiankatu 7, Helsinki, FI-00101, Finland;3. Bank of Finland, P.O. Box 160, FI-00101, Helsinki, Finland;4. StatFinn Ltd, Metsänneidonkuja 12, 02130, Espoo, Finland;5. University of Helsinki, Finland;1. ITAM, Mexico;2. Princeton University, USA;1. Universitat de les Illes Balears, Departament d''Economia Aplicada, Palma de Mallorca, 07122, Spain;2. University of Warwick, Department of Economics, Gibbet Hill Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL, UK;3. Western University, Department of Economics, London, Ontario, N6G 2V4, Canada;4. CESIfo, Germany;5. University of Birmingham, Department of Economics, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK;6. CEPR, UK;1. Department of Economics and Business Economics, Aarhus University, Denmark;2. PeRCent, CESifo, CEPR, IZA |
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Abstract: | We exploit a regression discontinuity design to provide causal evidence of the relative age effect (RAE) on a long-run adult age outcome: Political selection. We find strong evidence of the RAE in politics in Finland. However, the effect is heterogeneous: We find that male candidates born early in the calendar year have a significantly higher probability of getting elected to the parliament but no similar RAE applies to female candidates nor to municipal elections. Moreover, this effect only takes place in the most competitive parliamentary districts and is present only for some parties. We also find that in all the groups where the RAE does not exist, early-born candidates are under-represented suggesting attrition of talent in the candidate placement. Overall, our results show that seemingly artificial cutoffs imposed by the government have persistent consequences even on the selection to the highest positions of power within a society. |
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Keywords: | Political selection Political competition Gender differences Regression discontinuity design Relative age effect C21 D72 J13 J16 J24 |
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