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Unequal Democracy in Brazil and South Africa

Research on political inequality often concludes that poorer citizens benefit less from politics than richer citizens. However, most of these studies focus on national legislation in Western countries. We analyse this question for Brazil and South Africa, looking not only at national legislation but also at municipal spending. Do municipalities in Brazil and South Africa spend more in wealthier or poorer districts? Are national laws more in line with the preferences of richer or poorer citizens? Furthermore, we try to explain the political inequality we measure by differences in political behaviour and political institutions.

Duration: 2023-2026
Funder: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
Team: Prof. Dr. Eva Wegner, Prof. Dr. Miquel Pellicer, Dr. Letícia Barbabela