Skip to Main Content
HBS Home
  • About
  • Academic Programs
  • Alumni
  • Faculty & Research
  • Baker Library
  • Giving
  • Harvard Business Review
  • Initiatives
  • News
  • Recruit
  • Map / Directions
Faculty & Research
  • Faculty
  • Research
  • Featured Topics
  • Academic Units
  • …→
  • Harvard Business School→
  • Faculty & Research→
Publications
Publications
  • August 2014
  • Article
  • American Economic Journal: Economic Policy

Friends in High Places

By: Lauren Cohen and Christopher Malloy
  • Format:Print
ShareBar

Abstract

We demonstrate that personal connections amongst U.S. politicians have a significant impact on Senate voting behavior. Networks based on alumni connections between politicians are consistent predictors of voting behavior. We estimate sharp measures that control for common characteristics of the network, as well as heterogeneous impacts of a common network characteristic across votes. We find that the effect of alumni networks is close to 60% as large as the effect of state-level considerations. The network effects we identify are stronger for more tightly linked networks, and at times when votes are most valuable. We show that politicians use school ties as a mechanism to engage in vote trading ("logrolling"), and that alumni networks help facilitate the procurement of discretionary earmarks.

Keywords

Vote Trading; Networks; Legislation; Logrolling; Earmarks; Voting; Government Legislation; Social and Collaborative Networks; United States

Citation

Cohen, Lauren, and Christopher Malloy. "Friends in High Places." American Economic Journal: Economic Policy 6, no. 3 (August 2014): 63–91.
  • Find it at Harvard
  • Read Now

About The Author

Lauren H. Cohen

Finance
→More Publications

More from the Authors

    • 2023
    • Faculty Research

    Too Many Managers: The Strategic Use of Titles to Avoid Overtime Payments

    By: Lauren Cohen, Umit Gurun and N. Bugra Ozel
    • 2022
    • Faculty Research

    Hidden Alpha

    By: Lauren Cohen, Manuel Amman, Alexander Cochardt and Stephan Heller
    • October 2022 (Revised January 2023)
    • Faculty Research

    Century Bank: Closing Time?

    By: Lauren Cohen, Grace Headinger and Bill Kwon
More from the Authors
  • Too Many Managers: The Strategic Use of Titles to Avoid Overtime Payments By: Lauren Cohen, Umit Gurun and N. Bugra Ozel
  • Hidden Alpha By: Lauren Cohen, Manuel Amman, Alexander Cochardt and Stephan Heller
  • Century Bank: Closing Time? By: Lauren Cohen, Grace Headinger and Bill Kwon
ǁ
Campus Map
Harvard Business School
Soldiers Field
Boston, MA 02163
→Map & Directions
→More Contact Information
  • Make a Gift
  • Site Map
  • Jobs
  • Harvard University
  • Trademarks
  • Policies
  • Accessibility
  • Digital Accessibility
Copyright © President & Fellows of Harvard College