Political-Financial Scandal, Political Disaffection, and the Dynamics of Political Action

This thesis examines whether and to what extent political-financial scandals shape public attitudes toward the political system and citizensâ patterns of participation in political action. The investigation employs a combination of Canada-focused case studies and large-N cross-national analyses. The findings indicate that while political-financial scandals do seem to contribute to an erosion of specific and intermediate forms of political support, they also suggest that scandals do not vitiate public support for broader democratic principles. With respect to the impact of scandals on political participation, the thesis highlights and investigates a puzzle. The Canadian case studies presented here suggest that revelations of political actorsâ ethical transgressions serve as a catalyst for both traditional and non-traditional forms of political participation in the short and medium-term. Even so, multi-level analyses of cross-national individual and aggregate-level data suggest that persistently high perceptions of corruption in government undermine citizensâ intrinsic motivation to vote, and that political-financial scandals might well suppress voter turnout over longer time horizons.Ph.D