Partisan Effects of Information Campaigns in Competitive Authoritarian Elections: Evidence from Bangladesh
Journal
The Economic Journal
ISSN
1468-0297
Type
journal article
Date Issued
2023-12-27
Author(s)
Abstract
To study the effects of non-partisan information and get-out-the-vote campaigns on the partisan composition of the voting population in competitive authoritarian elections, we conducted a large-scale field experiment prior to the 2018 Bangladeshi general election. Our two treatments highlight that high turnout increases the winning party’s legitimacy and that election outcomes matter for policy outcomes. Both treatments increase turnout (measured by ink marks) in government strongholds, but decrease turnout in opposition strongholds. We explain the withdrawal of treated opposition supporters and conclude that non-partisan information and get-out-the-vote campaigns can further tilt the uneven playing field in competitive authoritarian elections.
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Volume
134
Number
660
Start page
1303
End page
1330