Judicial subversion: The effects of political power on court outcomes
研究发现，巴西市长候选人若以微弱优势赢得选举，其被定罪的可能性降低65%，表明政治权力在司法系统中存在隐性影响，尤其当法官数量少或职业不稳定时。
Are politicians in power treated more leniently in court? We show that Brazilian mayoral candidates charged with misconduct are 65 percent less likely to be convicted if they narrowly win the election. Politicians play no direct role in the judges’ careers, suggesting that formal independence does not completely insulate the judiciary from political influence. The effect is driven by districts with few judges and by judges with higher career instability.