Résumé
Can information and communication technologies help citizens monitor their elections? We analyze a large-scale field experiment designed to answer this question in Colombia. We leveraged Facebook advertisements sent to over 4 million potential voters to encourage citizen reporting of electoral irregularities. We also cross-randomized whether candidates were informed about the campaign in a subset of municipalities. Total reports, and evidence-backed ones, experienced a large increase. Across a wide array of measures, electoral irregularities decreased. Finally, the reporting campaign reduced the vote share of candidates dependent on irregularities. This light-touch intervention is more cost-effective than monitoring efforts traditionally used by policymakers.
Codes JEL
- C93: Field Experiments
- D12: Consumer Economics: Empirical Analysis
- D72: Political Processes: Rent-Seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
- D83: Search • Learning • Information and Knowledge • Communication • Belief
- O17: Formal and Informal Sectors • Shadow Economy • Institutional Arrangements
Référence
Mateo Montenegro et Natalia Garbiras-Diaz, « All Eyes on Them: A Field Experiment on Citizen Oversight and Electoral Integrity », American Economic Review, vol. 112, n° 8, août 2022, p. 2631–2668.
Publié dans
American Economic Review, vol. 112, n° 8, août 2022, p. 2631–2668