Do regional governments fulfill fewer election promises than national governments? The case of Quebec in comparative perspective

Abstract

This article analyzes for the first time the fulfillment of election pledges at the regional level using data from Quebec. We theorize that pledge fulfillment by regional governments is subject to adverse effects that do not normally operate at the national level. In line with expectations, we find that regional parties in Quebec fulfill smaller percentages of campaign pledges than their federal counterparts. We identify two main causal explanations for this. The sharing of resources (jurisdictions, power, and money) with the federal government prevents provincial parties from fulfilling some pledges, and it creates jurisdictional rivalries with the federal government that lead regional parties, nationalist parties in particular, to over-pledge. In conclusion, we argue that the results from Quebec can be generalized to other regional governments.