Publication Details
- Authors
- Status / Format
- Preprint / Journal Article
- Citation
- Zhang, Yang and Reidhead, Jacob, Which Alignment Pays? Fiscal Patronage, Electoral Returns, and Local Party Dominance in Taiwan (June 14, 2026). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=6943538 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.6943538
- Year / Venue
- 2026 / SSRN
- Volume / Issue / Pages
- 27 pages
- Publisher / DOI / Document
Publication Content
Abstract
Candidates in multilevel party systems face party labels that do not carry uniform value across territory. This article asks which forms of dominant-party alignment pay for regional legislative candidates. Drawing on candidate-election, candidate-panel, regional-dominance, and county-year fiscal data from Taiwan, it tests whether alignment is associated with fiscal-transfer gains, current electoral returns, later career continuation, and distinct payoff patterns in indigenous constituencies. The evidence indicates that regional-dominant alignment is associated with the clearest electoral and career returns, whereas national-tier-only alignment is weaker and fiscal-transfer evidence is limited. Indigenous constituencies display a different payoff structure, especially around independent candidacy. The article contributes to party politics by disaggregating alignment into competing payoff mechanisms and by showing that local organizational dominance can matter more for candidate viability than national dominance alone.
Keywords
Party Alignment, Regional Dominance, Candidate Strategy, Fiscal Transfers, Political Careers, Taiwan
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