New Working Paper in the IDEAGOV Working Paper Series

A new contribution to the IDEAGOV Working Paper Series investigates the role of political and technocratic actors in shaping citizens’ attitudes towards public policies. In “Technocratic vs Partisan Framing in Regional Fiscal Politics: Experimental Evidence from Spain”, María Cadaval-Sampedro, Santiago Lago-Peñas, Xoaquín Fernández-Leiceaga and Alejandro Domínguez-Lamela (Universidade de Santiago de Compostela) analyse how the source of a policy proposal influences public opinion in a decentralized governance setting.

The study explores whether citizens respond differently to public policy proposals depending on whether they are presented by independent experts or by political parties. The results show that source cues significantly influence opinion formation, particularly in contexts where policies are complex and citizens face high levels of uncertainty. While the overall effect of partisan cues on aggregate preferences is limited, such cues substantially reduce uncertainty and encourage citizens to express a position.

A key finding is that political alignment strongly conditions citizens’ reactions. Individuals tend to be more supportive of proposals endorsed by their preferred party and less supportive when identical proposals are associated with opposing political forces. The study therefore provides new evidence on how partisan reasoning shapes policy preferences and contributes to political polarization.

The authors also highlight important implications for public policy communication. Their findings suggest that technocratic framing may be more effective in generating broad consensus, whereas partisan endorsements can strengthen support among aligned groups but may simultaneously deepen political divisions.

📄 The Working Paper is available at:https://www.ideagov.eu/wp