The framework also provides a quantitative tool to assess the impact of policy interventions, such as anti-vote-buying measures, transparency initiatives, and civic engagement programs.
2. Normative Utility
TDD highlights ethical and civic imperatives by showing how individual choices aggregate into systemic outcomes.
It emphasizes the long-term costs of transactional behavior, demonstrating that micro-level rationalizations---while seemingly practical---can erode institutional legitimacy and social cohesion.
By quantifying the interplay between incentives and justice, TDD provides a normative basis for citizen behavior, encouraging refusal of vote selling and active monitoring of legislative promises.
It also underscores the responsibility of political actors to maintain accountability and uphold ethical standards, as failure to do so triggers reinforcing loops of degradation.
3. Policy-Relevant Insights for Emerging Democracies
Emerging democracies can use TDD to design evidence-based interventions:
Strengthen institutional accountability to increase perceived justice ().
Reduce transactional incentives () through monitoring and enforcement.
Promote civic education and community engagement to disrupt normative acceptance of transactional politics.
