Who Is to Blame? Political Centralization and Electoral Punishment under Authoritarianism.

Does decentralization affect how voters attribute blame for poor economic performance? This question is particularly important in authoritarian regimes, where economic performance legitimacy is a key source of regime stability. Using political and economic data from large Russian cities for 2003–12, we investigate how replacing direct mayoral elections with appointments affects the way voters attribute blame for economic outcomes. We find that the ruling party is more likely to be punished for poor economic performance in cities with centrally appointed mayors than it is in cities with elected mayors. This research suggests that having locally elected officials may help electoral authoritarian regimes deflect responsibility for some unfavorable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]