Do politicians affect firm outcomes? Evidence from connections to the German Federal Parliament


Diegmann, André ; Pohlan, Laura ; Weber, Andrea


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URN: urn:nbn:de:bsz:180-madoc-676584
Document Type: Working paper
Year of publication: 2024
The title of a journal, publication series: ZEW Discussion Papers
Volume: 24-035
Place of publication: Mannheim
Publication language: English
Institution: Sonstige Einrichtungen > ZEW - Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung
MADOC publication series: Veröffentlichungen des ZEW (Leibniz-Zentrum für Europäische Wirtschaftsforschung) > ZEW Discussion Papers
Subject: 330 Economics
Classification: JEL: O43 , L25 , D72,
Keywords (English): politicians , firm performance , identification , political connections
Abstract: We study how connections to German federal parliamentarians affect firm dynamics by constructing a novel dataset to measure connections between politicians and the universe of firms. To identify the causal effect of access to political power, we exploit (i) new appointments to the company leadership team and (ii) discontinuities around the marginal seat of party election lists. Our results reveal that connections lead to reductions in firm exits, gradual increases in employment growth without improvements in productivity. The economic effects are mediated by better credit ratings while access to subsidies or procurement contracts are documented to be of lower importance.




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