The Brazilian experience shows that voters are more forgiving of incompetence than they are of corruption

Corruption in the U.S. is perceived as being on the rise, with research showing that voters are increasingly concerned about the relationship between private financial interests and politicians. But are voters willing to forgive corrupt politicians if they are competent? New research which looks at the Brazilian case by Rebecca Weitz-Shapiro and Matthew S. Winters shows that voters are merciless when it comes to forgiving corrupt officials and politicians, and that their electoral success is usually a result of lower voter information.