Selective Accountability: Performance Indicators and MPs’ Behavior, with Charles Louis-Sidois (Vienna University of Economics and Busines) & Elisa Mougin (ENS de Lyon)
Statistical performance indicators have transformed political coverage. In France, these indicators gained prominence through Nosdeputes.fr, a website launched in 2009. We provide the first quantitative analysis of their effects on MPs’ behavior using a comprehensive dataset of their press coverage. While general coverage boosts performance across all indicators, mentioned MPs do not show further improvement. Only the most covered indicators improved after the website’s launch. We also find mixed evidence of transparency backfiring: copy-paste questions increased, but amendments and short interventions aimed at manipulating indicators did not. Overall, indicators seem to enhance collective accountability but prompt resistance from mentioned MPs.