Positive and negative campaigning in primary and general elections

B-Tier
Journal: Games and Economic Behavior
Year: 2020
Volume: 119
Issue: C
Pages: 98-104

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

We analyze primary and general election campaigning. Positive campaigning builds a candidate's reputation; negative campaigning damages a rival's. Each primary candidate hopes to win the general election; but failing that, he wants his primary rival to win. We establish that general elections always feature more negative campaigning than positive, as long as reputations are easier to tear down than build up. In contrast, if the effects of primary campaigns strongly persist, primary elections always feature more positive campaigning than negative. This reflects that a primary winner benefits only from his positive primary campaigning in general elections, and negative campaigning by a rival hurts.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:eee:gamebe:v:119:y:2020:i:c:p:98-104
Journal Field
Theory
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-24