#52 Planet Money: Buying the Vote

Voters in Lebanon picked a coalition backed by the U.S. over one supported by Hezbollah in elections on Sunday. In the weeks before the vote, Ben Gilbert of Executive magazine says he began hearing reports of people offered plane tickets and even cash to vote a particular line. Gilbert says both sides seem to have been courting voters, at an eventual cost of $1,000 a vote. He explains the economics of buying someone's ballot.

Plus: Robert Frank on why automakers turn bigger profits on big vehicles like the Hummer.