Representation through Information: Bringing Politician Actions Closer to Citizen Preferences

Do politicians possess accurate information about citizen preferences and can better information bring politicians' actions closer to citizen preferences? In a sample of 360 local elected representatives in Pakistan, I test how accurate politicians are about citizen preferences and conduct interventions aimed at reducing the distance between politician actions and citizen preferences. The interventions involve (a) providing local politicians with accurate information on citizen preferences and (b) making them aware that their existing information comes from selected samples. Outcomes include (i) politicians' policy recommendations to party leadership, (ii) voting outcomes for the politician's party in the upcoming General Election, (iii) politicians' outreach to voters and voter attitudes towards them, (iv) politicians' demand for more information, and (v) attention paid by politicians to voter attributes.