Working Papers in Economics,
University of Gothenburg, Department of Economics

Abstract: Swedish survey-evidence indicates that variables reflecting self-interest are important in explaining people’s preferred speed limits, and that political preferences adapt to technological development. Drivers of cars that are newer (and hence safer), bigger, and with better high-speed characteristics, prefer higher speed limits, as do those who believe they drive better than average, whereas elderly people prefer lower limits. Furthermore, people report that they themselves vote more sociotropically than they believe others to vote, on average. Self-serving biases are proposed as a bridge between subjectively perceived expressive and sociotropic voting behavior, versus objectively self-interested voting behavior.

Keywords: Speed limits; self-interested voting; expressive voting; sociotropic voting; selfserving bias; adaptive political preferences

JEL-codes: D70

17 pages, March 28, 2003

Note: Publised in Public Choice, 2005, Vol. 122, pp. 319-331.

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Published as

Olof Johansson-Stenman and Peter Martinsson, (2005), 'Anyone for Higher Speed Limits? - Self-Interested and Adaptive Political Preferences', Public Choice, vol 122, pages 319-331

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