Do mayors walk the talk? Evidence on local responsiveness from elite surveys and online platforms

Incumbent politicians are frequently asked about their role perceptions in elite surveys, but little is known about whether they indeed act on their self-perceived priorities while in office. Using novel data from Hungary and Slovakia, this paper contrasts the perceived importance of the task of creating a conducive environment for locals to voice (and find remedy for) their concerns with the speed and efficiency municipal administrations tackle such problem reports. Utilizing the second wave of data collection of the POLLEADER survey in 2015, it tests whether incumbent behavior is congruent with self-declared importance of "helping citizens resolve complaints with the municipal government". To that end, real-world administrative data on citizen-municipality interactions on volunteer-run online platforms is subsequently merged with elite survey responses. Using fixed effects and multilevel models, we analyze original data on problem reports submitted by locals, covering the periods of 2014–2019 (for Hungary) and 2014–2018 (for Slovakia). Our findings have implications for our understanding of local public service delivery, individual and political characteristics shaping elected officials’ role perceptions, as well as the external validity of elite surveys administered on incumbent political leaders.