Maria Cadaval receives an accesit in the Fundacion Barrie–RAGC Research Awards for a study on fiscal policy and electoral behavior

The research team led by Maria Cadaval has been awarded an accesit in the Social Sciences category in the first edition of the Fundacion Barrie–RAGC Research Awards, organized by the Royal Galician Academy of Sciences and the Fundacion Barrie.

The awarded study, developed by a multidisciplinary team from the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, focuses on analyzing the impact of fiscal consolidation policies on citizens’ preferences and voting intentions in Spain, within a context shaped by European fiscal rules.

Based on a survey of more than 1,500 participants, along with the use of advanced econometric techniques and an experimental design, the research provides evidence on how factors such as political ideology significantly influence preferences regarding fiscal policy decisions, including tax increases or public spending cuts.

Among its main findings, the study shows that the electoral effects of austerity policies are not homogeneous, but depend on the specific composition of the measures adopted. It also highlights that citizens’ perceptions are influenced by the type of information available and potential biases in sources, adding complexity to the relationship between economic policies and political behavior.

This recognition underscores the collaborative work of the research team led by Maria Cadaval and its contribution to the analysis of key issues in public economics, providing relevant evidence for both academic debate and public policy design in the current European context.