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When a Government is Guided by Values

, by Claudio Todesco
The ERC project of Guido Tabellini has explained, among other things, why the runoff voting system moderates the contractual power of extremist parties

"The ERC grants provide the resources and time needed to set ambitious research targets. In addition, the grants offer students the opportunity to work as assistants and to learn how to do research". Despite having been "distracted", as he says, by his past assignment as Rector of Bocconi University, Guido Tabellini (Department of Economics) has worked on the project How do values influence the functioning of institutions and the effects of policies? (INSTITUTIONS) awarded with an ERC Advanced Grant in 2008 and hosted by IGIER - Innocenzo Gasparini Institute for Economic Research.

"We have verified that large transfers from central to local governments in Brazil are linked to more corruption. We have also observed a decline in the quality of politicians, that was measured by their education level and their pre-election profession".

The project has also compared two Italian voting methods: the runoff system used for the election of mayors in cities above 15,000 inhabitants and the single-round system adopted in municipalities below that threshold. "The runoff system reduces the bargaining power of the extremist parties. In a single-round system, moderate candidates must necessarily strike an alliance with the extremes that end up influencing their policymaking. A two-rounds system allows moderate parties to run alone and still pick up some of the extremist votes without compromising their agenda".

Read here the other articles on the ERC research projects:

The Dream Team of Research made in..ERC
University at the Time of Star Wars
The Culture That Influences Demography
For a History of Inequality in Europe
Fostering Solidarity in Times of Migrations
A Theory of Games and Emotions
Why with Broadband We will have More Children
How to Communicate Climate Science
At the Birth of Maritime Insurance
Even Distorted Choices can be Rational
The Psychology of Economic Behavior
Great Expectations for Great Objectives
What we are Certain about Uncertainty
Putting a Halt to the Spread of Infections
Wellbeing and Fertility, a Two-Way Relationship
The Role of Financial Imperfections
The World Through the Lens of Power
The Selection of the Political Class
How to Evaluate Innovative Ideas
A Help for Those who make Predictions

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