Join the Institute for Policy and Social Research for our February 2026 research luncheon! Lunch will be provided. Please email ipsr@ku.edu if you would like to attend. Let us know if you require any accommodations or have any dietary restrictions.

Democratic Accountability and the Politics of Corruption: Anticorruption Rhetoric and Blame Avoidance

Sofia Vera (Assistant Professor, Political Science)

Why are corrupt politicians reelected? Over the past decade, political science has made significant advances in understanding when and how politicians who engage in undemocratic, illegal, or corrupt behavior are nonetheless able to win elections and retain public support. How do they get away with it? In this talk, I present evidence from several empirical studies examining when and why citizens tolerate corruption in Latin America. I focus in particular on the role of blame-avoidance strategies and the use of anticorruption rhetoric by political elites. I conclude by discussing the implications of these findings for democratic accountability and the limits of elections as mechanisms for accountability.

IPSR is a research center supporting social scientists who focus on social problems and policy-relevant questions. Our monthly research luncheons provide a space for affiliated faculty and staff researchers to share their own ongoing work with the KU community.