Jurisdiction, time, and money The role of resources in pledge fulfillment

The present article examines the fulfillment of election pledges. More specifically, it focuses on the effect of resources (jurisdiction, time, and money) on the parties' abilities to fulfill their promises. Based on the case of Austria (1990-2013), the analyses cover almost 1700 pledges made in the run-up to six national elections. The multivariate models show that resources have an impact on a government's policy outcome. The chances of pledge fulfillment decrease if the Austrian Lander is involved in the policy-making process. Furthermore, while higher levels of pledge fulfillment are associated with regularly ended legislative periods, snap elections reduce the amount of fulfilled pledges. Finally, the likelihood of pledge fulfillment increases in times of stronger economic growth. Especially pledges to expand government spending are more likely to be acted upon when the economy performs well.