Objectif Nowadays there is little doubt that maximizing social welfare is not the sole goal of policymakers. Policy choices such as the level of taxation and spending are at the core of public economics. A positive approach to this field takes into account the fact that budgets and policies are set by political agents who are office-seekers. Early studies on political economy have focused on institutional factors, voters’ preferences, interests groups, and party ideology as major drivers of public policies. But a growing number of theoretical and empirical studies have started to examine the particular features of political leaders (e.g. gender or ethnicity) as relevant determinants of economic outcomes and policies.This project seeks to contribute to the understanding of how the individual traits of politicians affect public policies. This approach shifts the focus of attention from political parties to individual legislators. In examining the impact of parties on policies, studies often treat parties as homogeneous units. In contrast, this project takes into consideration the heterogeneity of its members in several dimensions. In particular, this project revolves around two topics. First, the politician‘s loyalty to her political party and its impact on public spending. A legislator may be reluctant to follow the party line if this generates a conflict with her constituents’ interests. To foster loyalty, parties may use discretionary spending targeted at specific districts. The second topic is the level of education of politicians. This project examines the possibility that education is not only a reflection of the level of skills but it acts as a dimension of political representation. Champ scientifique social sciencespolitical sciencespolitical policiespublic policiessocial sciencespolitical sciencespolitical transitionselectionssocial sciencessociologyanthropologyethnologysocial sciencessociologygovernancetaxationsocial scienceseconomics and businesseconomicspolitical economy Mots‑clés political economy government spending public policies fiscal outcomes party discipline politicians' education Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions Main Programme H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility Thème(s) MSCA-IF-2016 - Individual Fellowships Appel à propositions H2020-MSCA-IF-2016 Voir d’autres projets de cet appel Régime de financement MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF) Coordinateur UNIVERSITAT DE BARCELONA Contribution nette de l'UE € 170 121,60 Adresse GRAN VIA DE LES CORTS CATALANES 585 08007 Barcelona Espagne Voir sur la carte Région Este Cataluña Barcelona Type d’activité Higher or Secondary Education Establishments Liens Contacter l’organisation Opens in new window Site web Opens in new window Participation aux programmes de R&I de l'UE Opens in new window Réseau de collaboration HORIZON Opens in new window Coût total € 170 121,60