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Sentencing corrupt politicians? Quantitative analysis of the trials of mayors by the Supreme Court of Rio Grande do Sul (1992-2016)

Abstract:

The article contributes to the debate on judicial behavior in cases of corruption. It asks under what conditions members of the judiciary convict political officials accused of corruption and why some officials are treated more severely than others. To this end, it analyzes all 1,716 cases tried by the 4th Criminal Panel of the Supreme Court of Rio Grande do Sul, the first body specialized in the judgment of crimes by city mayors instituted in Brazil, in 1992, until 2016. The article examines the impact of three groups of hypotheses, concerning the profile of the accused mayors, the socioeconomic characteristics of the municipalities and the workings of justice system institutions. Tested using descriptive and multivariate quantitative techniques, the analysis suggests that the last group of variables exerts greater impact on the chance of criminal conviction of mayors, and that the other variables exhibit a smaller or statistically insignificant impact.

Keywords:
Corruption; Judicial branch; Accountability; Mayors; Rio Grande do Sul

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