New research | Personality traits and cognitive ability in political selection
A new study co-authored by Jaakko Meriläinen from the Stockholm School of Economics shows that Finnish politicians are, on average, more skilled and conscientious than the general population. By analyzing data on male military conscripts’ cognitive and non-cognitive abilities from the Finnish Defense Forces, researchers found that both candidates and elected politicians display above-average traits linked to competence, motivation, and honesty.
The findings challenge concerns that voters lack the information needed to choose capable politicians. In Finland's open-list electoral system, where every voter must vote for a single candidate out of many, voters effectively identify and elect candidates with superior skills.
“Despite the complexity of the electoral process, voters seem capable of identifying and supporting candidates with traits that contribute to effective political leadership,” says Jaakko Meriläinen, Assistant Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics.
Local and national leaders excel in skills
The research reveals that local politicians score similarly to individuals in high-skill occupations or those with undergraduate degrees. National politicians perform even better, with higher cognitive scores and significantly stronger non-cognitive abilities.
Some have feared that open-list systems might encourage corruption or favor candidates with celebrity status. Instead, voters tend to select candidates with qualities like leadership motivation, teamwork ability, and honesty.
“Perhaps voters are not as easily misled by flashy campaigns as some might think,” adds Meriläinen. “Instead, they make informed decisions that reward competence.”
Better politicians, better policies
The study also found that positive selection impacts policy outcomes. Municipalities with politicians who score highly on leadership motivation tend to experience better fiscal health.
The study, published in the Journal of the European Economic Association, contributes to a growing body of research showing that political systems can effectively select competent leaders—even in systems that give voters significant influence.
Link to the publication
Abstract
A vast scholarship questions whether voters are sufficiently informed to act in their best interest at the polling booth, which may also have implications for the quality of political representation. In this study, we examine cognitive and non-cognitive ability tests conducted on (male) military conscripts by the Finnish Defense Forces, and compare local and national election candidates nominated by political parties and representatives elected by voters with each other and the general population. We show that non-elected candidates fare better in the tests than the population, on average, and elected politicians demonstrate even higher levels of ability. Local politicians’ cognitive and non-cognitive skills are on par with individuals who work in high-skill occupations or have at least an undergraduate degree and national politicians are even better. Our findings suggest that, despite the complex decision-making environment inherent in voter-oriented systems, a political class that is more competent, motivated, and honest than the general population emerges. We further discuss the scope for positive political selection of women, show that there is no evident trade-off between politician quality and descriptive representation, and present evidence on the mechanisms for and the policy effects of positive selection.
