Essays on Political Accountability and Representation

Citation

Morrier, Jacob (2025) Essays on Political Accountability and Representation. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/vnwj-8232. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechTHESIS:04282025-230942735

Abstract

This dissertation studies political accountability and representation, two fundamental principles of democratic government. It consists of four independent chapters, each structured as an academic article that addresses a distinct research question. The chapters are organized into two thematic sections. On the one hand, Chapters 1 and 2 study the Question Period, a key institution in Canadian politics, analyzing the behavior of its participants and its role in upholding political accountability and representation. In particular, Chapter 1 assesses how responsive politicians are to the public salience of climate change in determining which topics to address in their Question Period interventions. Chapter 2 proposes a new approach for measuring the quality of answers in political question-and-answer sessions with large language models, using the Question Period as a case study. On the other hand, Chapters 3 and 4 explore the tensions that may arise between political accountability and representation in a context of asymmetric information using theoretical models of political agency with adverse selection. Chapter 3 demonstrates that endogenous challenger entry generally weakens electoral accountability but may paradoxically improve policymaking and voter welfare. Chapter 4 investigates how candidates for elected office can strategically weaken electoral accountability by voluntarily pledging to self-imposed term limits to their benefit and that of voters.

Thesis Files