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Essays in Political Economy

Braun, Noah McKinnie (2024) Essays in Political Economy. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

This dissertation consists of three essays that contribute to the fields of political economy and public economics. Chapter 1 studies the effect of Virginia’s 2014 voter ID law on political participation rates. I gathered data on registered voters who lack DMV records and constructed a novel dataset on election precinct changes over time to identify areas of the state where more people are likely to be impacted by the voter ID law. I find a significant and durable decline in voter turnout in these areas that is driven by a decline in the number of individuals who register to vote. I also consider the role of countermobilization against new voting restrictions and find evidence that more Democratic parts of the state saw smaller effects from the voter ID law. Chapter 2 studies the impact of the 2013 Supreme Court decision, Shelby County v. Holder, on ballot access for Black and Hispanic voters. We use a rich dataset on voter behavior for the universe of registered voters combined with Census block-level sociodemographic attributes to document a decrease in turnout for Black, relative to white, individuals. These effects are concentrated in counties with larger Black and Hispanic populations, consistent with strategic targeting of voter suppression. In Chapter 3, I further study the impact of the Shelby County v. Holder decision on state public finance. I document that counties that were previously covered by federal oversight under the VRA have experienced a decrease in intergovernmental transfers from state governments. Using a triple-difference design, I then show that this decrease in transfers is concentrated among cities with larger Black populations.

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Details

Item Type: University of Pittsburgh ETD
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Braun, Noah McKinnienmb93@pitt.edunmb93
ETD Committee:
TitleMemberEmail AddressPitt UsernameORCID
Committee CoChairWalsh, Randallwalshr@pitt.edu
Committee CoChairJones, Danieldbj3@pitt.eduDBJ3
Committee MemberVan Weelden, Richardrmv22@pitt.edu
Committee MemberShi, Yingyshi78@syr.edu
Date: 27 August 2024
Date Type: Publication
Defense Date: 18 April 2024
Approval Date: 27 August 2024
Submission Date: 15 July 2024
Access Restriction: 2 year -- Restrict access to University of Pittsburgh for a period of 2 years.
Number of Pages: 102
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences > Economics
Degree: PhD - Doctor of Philosophy
Thesis Type: Doctoral Dissertation
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: Political Economy, Public Economics, Voting Rights Act
Date Deposited: 27 Aug 2024 13:39
Last Modified: 27 Aug 2024 13:39
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46687

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