Economic Incentives and Political Behavior

Wealth, Slaveownership, and Fighting for the Confederacy: An Empirical Study of the American Civil War

How did personal wealth and slaveownership affect the likelihood Southerners fought for the ConfederateArmyinthe American CivilWar?Onthe one hand, wealthy Southerners hadincentives to free-ride on poorer Southerners and avoid fighting; on the other …

Does Homeownership Influence Political Behavior? Evidence from Administrative Data

We combine deed-level data on homeownership with administrative data on voter turnout in local and national elections for more than 18 million individuals in Ohio and North Carolina. Using a difference-in-differences design, we find that buying a home leads individuals to participate substantially more in local elections, on average.