Policy-making follows a complex institutional process. Policy makers are chosen through precise rules on elections or appointment. Each public policy decision is subject to an accurate process, and results from the interaction of different authorities (executive and legislative power, local and national governments, independent administrative organizations). This key role of institutions and politics motivates the investigation of the impact of these factors on public policy efficiency.

IPP focus. IPP researchers investigate the impact of electoral rules on public policy decisions. They also study the impact of factors related to elected incumbents’ career (past seats, multiple office-holding), and to the structure of independent administrative organizations (central banks, regulatory authorities). The IPP is also interested in explaining the heterogeneity of politicians’ view on key public policy issues. The IPP “Democracy and Institutions” team relies on various methods: predictions from theoretical models, ex-post empirical evaluations using electoral data, analysis of survey data on elected incumbents.

Programme Director : Pierre Boyer