CeDEx Seminar - Björn Bartling (University of Zurich)

Paternalism Across the World

joint with Alexander Cappelen, Henning Hermes, Akshay Moorthy, Marit Skivenes and Bertil Tungodden

Paternalistic policies play a key role in the relationship between citizens and government, yet systematic evidence on public support for different types of paternalism remains limited. This study examines preferences for soft versus hard paternalism using a large-scale, between-subjects survey experiment with nationally representative samples from 58 countries and approximately 60,000 participants. Globally, we find a widespread preference for soft paternalism, which does not restrict individual autonomy, over hard paternalism, which does. These preferences predict support for specific paternalistic policies. We document substantial variation within and across countries, with preferences differing systematically by demographics such as age, education, religiosity, and urban vs. rural setting. These preferences are also associated with economic development and political institutions. To structure our findings, we introduce a conceptual framework and conduct exploratory analyses suggesting that economic shocks and exposure to regime transitions—democratic or autocratic—shape preferences for individual autonomy.