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September 10, 2025American Economic Journal Economic Policy

Pandering in the Shadows: How Natural Disasters Affect Special Interest Politics

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Authors

EKEthan KaplanJSJörg L. SpenkuchHYHaishan Yuan

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Overview

Analysis shows natural disasters decrease political news coverage, prompting legislators to favor special interests.

Key Points

  • Disasters cause a significant drop in political news coverage, distracting the public and enabling special interest influence.
  • When focus on politics wanes, legislators in the House align more with special interest positions, suggesting diminished accountability.
  • The findings indicate that public attention is crucial for maintaining electoral accountability, despite transparency mechanisms.
  • Public distraction during disasters may lead to lower scrutiny of legislative decisions, benefiting special interest groups.

Cite This Study

Kaplan et al. (2025) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68c1a11f54b1d3bfb60dba60https://doi.org/10.1257/pol.20230783
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