Invites you to a

Microeconometrics & Public Policy seminar presented by

Matthew Ho

(University of Sydney)

An instrument of justice and fulfillment? Voting rights and human development in the United States, 1956 to 1970

Friday 29 July

12.00pm – 1.00pm

Via Zoom: Meeting Link

Abstract: I develop a model to explain how inclusive political institutions may motivate public policy choices that support human development and test the model’s predictions using data from the counties of the United States. Specifically, I examine the impact of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which expanded the inclusivity of political institutions by extending and enforcing voting rights, on income, health and education variables. I find statistically significant evidence that the Voting Rights Act and accompanying measures have quantifiable effects on median income in impacted counties. , the distribution of intergovernmental transfers, and expenditures on social services including education. Within five years of enactment, the Voting Rights Act is estimated to have increased voter participation in a covered county, leading to an increase in personal income per capita of 0.9 per cent. The Act is also associated with a decrease in infant mortality and an increase in government expenditure on education.

For further information contact: Microeconometrics & Public Policy Seminar Coordinator Dr Rebecca McKibbin (rebecca.mckibbin@sydney.edu.au)

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