Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
7384035 Research in Economics 2018 47 Pages PDF
Abstract
In this paper, we use data on 2459 public claims made by 444 politicians from the leading US fact-checking site (PolitiFact) to provide an empirical analysis of false claims in politics, shedding light on their characteristics within an advanced democracy. The frequency of falsehoods differs according to party affiliation and topic, with false claims more likely on such topics as elections, health, labor, taxes and values. For Republican politicians, falsehood pays off in the short run, as it is associated with greater political support.
Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities Economics, Econometrics and Finance Economics and Econometrics
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