Economic disparities and clientelism in Romania. A subnational analysis
Economic disparities and clientelism in Romania. A subnational analysis

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyses the relationship between demand-driven clientelism, economic disparities, and public expenditures at the county level in Romania. Using several economic and social indicators we realize an in-depth analysis of economic development disparities in Romania concerning the clientelistic incidence of the Romanian parties. The latter was based on an extensive original survey developed in the first quarter of 2021 regarding clientelism perception among 42 counties of Romania for both national (parliamentary) and local elections, addressing both positive and negative clientelism approaches. Thus, we tested if, in Romania, greater economic constraints increase the individuals’ propensity to engage in a clientelistic relationship with political parties or candidates and the correlation of local public expenditures (social protection and personnel local expenditures) with the incidence of clientelism.

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