Do citizens hold mayors accountable for local conditions? Evidence from Italian municipalities

Using data on 75 big Italian municipalities between 2010 and 2015, this paper looks at the extent to which citizens’ evaluations of mayors are responsive to changes in local performance indicators. While local economic and crime measures are found not be associated with mayoral approval ratings, there is a correlation between mayors’ popularity and indicators for local public transportation and air quality. Mayors of municipalities where more individuals use public transport and where there is less polluted air enjoy higher approval ratings. Additional analysis shows that this result is driven by very big municipalities (with a population over 500,000) that are more likely to be exposed to high levels of traffic congestion and pollution.