Brett Bessen

Unbinding the Executive? Public Opinion and Presidential Accountability in Latin America

Avery Lord — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:08:43 +0000

Unbinding the Executive? Public Opinion and Presidential Accountability in Latin America Avery Lord Thu, 06/18/2026 - 11:08

Unbinding the Executive? Public Opinion and Presidential Accountability in Latin America

By: Brett R Bessen

Abstract:

In presidential democracies, public opinion is thought to constrain the executive through elections and protests. However, citizens' ability to make considered judgments about presidents and hold them accountable is unclear. I examine how citizens evaluate presidents in Latin America in three interrelated chapters. I first investigate how political conversation shapes citizens' candidate preference during presidents' regular time in office. Using panel data from Brazilian president Lula da Silva's first term, I find that political conversation with disagreeing partners induces preference change among presidential supporters and opposition supporters. Second, I analyze the effect of presidential discourse on public attitudes about measures that undermine checks on the executive.

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Stereotypes and scandals: Politician gender and public judgments about scandal in Mexico

Avery Lord — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:07:08 +0000

Stereotypes and scandals: Politician gender and public judgments about scandal in Mexico Avery Lord Thu, 06/18/2026 - 11:07

Stereotypes and scandals: Politician gender and public judgments about scandal in Mexico

By: Fernanda Quintanilla Domínguez, Rebecca Bell-Martin, Brett Ryan Bessen

Abstract:

This article examines how politician gender shapes voter judgments about political scandal in Mexico. We test the hypothesis that individuals discount or disbelieve scandals when their content contradicts gender stereotypes. In a survey experiment, we varied the type of scandal and the gender of politician facing misconduct allegations. Respondents were more favorable toward female politicians accused of stereotype-incongruent behaviors. Further, benevolent sexists—those who idealize women as uniquely pure—were especially likely to discount stereotype-incongruent scandals. These findings elucidate the role of gender stereotypes in shaping judgments about politicians’ fitness for office

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Fairweather cosmopolitans: Immigration attitudes in latin america during the migrant crisis

Avery Lord — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:05:00 +0000

Fairweather cosmopolitans: Immigration attitudes in latin america during the migrant crisis Avery Lord Thu, 06/18/2026 - 11:05

Fairweather cosmopolitans: Immigration attitudes in latin america during the migrant crisis

By: Brett R Bessen, Brendan J Connell, Ken Stallman

Abstract:

What explains voter attitudes toward immigration in Latin America? This article argues that increased refugee arrivals moderate the impact of social identities on immigration attitudes. We propose that informational cues associated with increased immigration make cosmopolitan identities less important—and exclusionary national identities more important—determinants of immigration preferences. Analyzing 12 Latin American countries from the 2017–2022 wave of the World Values Survey, we demonstrate that cosmopolitanism is positively associated with pro-immigration attitudes, but only in countries experiencing low-to-moderate refugee inflows. Conversely, nationalism is negatively associated with pro-immigrant attitudes, and increasingly so as refugee inflows increase. The uneven distribution of refugee migration has therefore reshaped public opinion in Latin America by moderating the effects of competing social identities (i.e., cosmopolitanism and nationalism). These findings contribute to broader debates on the behavioral impacts of immigration by highlighting an indirect mechanism by which increased immigration may generate anti-immigrant hostility.

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Another day, another currency: self-interest, experience, and attitudes toward dollarization in Ecuador

Avery Lord — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:02:02 +0000

Another day, another currency: self-interest, experience, and attitudes toward dollarization in Ecuador Avery Lord Thu, 06/18/2026 - 11:02

Another day, another currency: self-interest, experience, and attitudes toward dollarization in Ecuador

By: Brett R Bessen, Brendan J Connell

Abstract:

How, if at all, does self-interest bear on individuals’ economic policy preferences? Though conventional theories of preference formation usually assume a role for self-interest, the informational demands associated with understanding economic policies can prevent individuals from forming attitudes on an egocentric basis. Building on work showing that policy-specific information facilitates egocentrism, we argue that personal experience with alternative policy options is necessary for self-interested preferences to materialize. To test this argument, we leverage Ecuador’s adoption of the U.S. dollar (i.e., dollarization) and examine whether material-based preferences toward exchange rate policy are conditional on individuals experiencing the transition from the Ecuadorian sucre to the dollar. We find that lived experience with dollarization causes policy preferences to align more closely with citizens’ self-interest, as proxied by measures of capital ownership and skill level. In addition, personal experience with dollarization drives attitudes against a dollarized economy, but primarily among poor and low-skill workers—precisely the groups that benefit less from this policy shift. Rather than entirely discredit the role of economic self-interest, these findings suggest that scholars devote greater attention to how contextual factors can strengthen egocentric policy attitudes.

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Rejecting representation? Party systems and popular support for referendums in Europe

Avery Lord — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:00:30 +0000

Rejecting representation? Party systems and popular support for referendums in Europe Avery Lord Thu, 06/18/2026 - 11:00

Rejecting representation? Party systems and popular support for referendums in Europe

By: Brett R Bessen

Abstract:

Under what conditions do citizens favor deciding political issues by popular vote? Models of support for popular vote processes usually consider the influence of individual attitudes such as political trust and interest in politics. But much less is known about the effect of institutional variables on support for popular vote processes. This article builds on research showing that disaffection with elected officials shapes support for referendums by considering the influence of the party system. First, an analysis of multilevel data from twenty-four European democracies indicates that individuals are more supportive of referendums in countries with fewer effective political parties. Second, a mediation analysis provides evidence that the number of parties influences referendum support through individual-level political trust and external efficacy. Where there are fewer viable parties, feelings that elected officials are unresponsive tend to increase popular support for referendums. These findings suggest a trade-off between available representation by political parties and support for direct influence over public policy.

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Populist discourse and public support for executive aggrandizement in Latin America

Avery Lord — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 16:59:09 +0000

Populist discourse and public support for executive aggrandizement in Latin America Avery Lord Thu, 06/18/2026 - 10:59

Populist discourse and public support for executive aggrandizement in Latin America

By: Brett R Bessen

Abstract:

What explains citizen support for executive aggrandizement? Previous work points to support for the president, showing that individuals who support the incumbent are more accepting of executive aggrandizement. Yet, the role of the president in shaping support for (and the meaning of) executive aggrandizement is unexplored. I argue that populist discourse increases support for executive aggrandizement by framing the president as the genuine representative of the people and by portraying institutional opposition as corrupt. Two studies support this argument: First, a multilevel analysis shows that a text-based measure of populist discourse is associated with increasing support for the president closing congress or the supreme court. The estimated effect of populist discourse is largest among presidential supporters. Second, a survey experiment conducted in Ecuador shows that populist and anti-elitist discourse increase support for a hypothetical executive closing the legislature. The findings indicate that populist discourse undermines public opinion as an executive accountability mechanism.

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Rejecting representation? Party systems and popular support for referendums in Europe

Anonymous — Tue, 06 Oct 2020 22:57:46 +0000

Rejecting representation? Party systems and popular support for referendums in Europe Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 10/06/2020 - 16:57

Bessen, Brett R. "Rejecting representation? Party systems and popular support for referendums in Europe." Electoral Studies 68 (2020): 102219

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