This study investigates how having a public employee elected as a city council member affects municipal spending. Using close election outcomes in Finland’s open-list proportional system, researchers quantify an effect where one additional employed politician leads to about a 1% increase in local budgets.

Context: The analysis leverages within-party variation during tight races when the Finnish electoral mechanism allows for randomness. This provides strong evidence that employment background influences policy decisions.

Mechanism: The spending boost appears concentrated among the largest political party and varies significantly depending on which sector the employee represents.

Implication: These findings suggest elected officials with recent public sector experience gain valuable information, enabling them to shape local policies. This insight highlights how insider knowledge impacts governance outcomes.