Private provision of public goods and political survival: Rail transport in four European democracies in the 20th century

The provision of public goods plays a key role in the survival leaders democracies. Assuming that mass rail transport shares many characteristics goods, we claim railway services is more beneficial for political democracies than private provision. To estimate effect type on leader survival, use new data four European present variation and ownership miles between 1913 1981. We find increases hazard rates deposition these These results bear crucial implications, as they help to explain sweeping policies nationalization took place first half 20th Century Western Europe.