Gren, SimonLeuschner, Elena2022-09-302022-09-302022-091653-8919https://hdl.handle.net/2077/73716While researchprovidesevidencethatvoters’considergovernments’ past performance,littleisknownaboutwhichinformationvoterspay attentionto.Wesuggesttwocompetingtheoriesofretrospective voting:Outcome-orientedvotersonlyreacttothepolicyoutcome, whereas position-orientedvotersconsidertheinitialproposalasin- formativeoftheincumbent’spolicypositionandpunishthemforthe unpopularidea.Wetesttheseopposingmechanismsusingthecase of widelyunpopularschoolclosuresandoriginallycompiledgranular data onSwedishlocalelectionsresultsfrom2002to2018.Weexploit within municipalityvariationinvotingacrosstimetocausallyesti- mate theconsequencesforincumbentsintheneighborhoodsurround- ing theschools.Ourresultsconfirmthatvoterspunishincumbents for closingaschoolbutalsoforwithdrawingtheproposal:theyvote position-oriented.Ourfindingshaveimplicationsfortheunderstand- ing ofretrospectivevotingandwhichinformationcuesvoterslook backto.engSchool’s out! Information Cues and Retrospective Voting in the Case of School Closures in SwedenText