Presidents, Political Context, and Economic Accountability

Using individual-level data collected in Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela, this article argues that electoral accountability revolves around the centralized nature of presidential regimes in the region and the relatively low level of institutionalization of party systems, which, under certain circumstances, constrain the ability of voters to hold the incumbent party responsible for past economic performance. In addition to probing the broader applicability of the economic voting models developed with reference to well-established democracies, the analysis contributes to improving our understanding of the interaction between institutional design and electoral behavior.