Arbeitspapier

Internet and politics: Evidence from U.K. local elections and local government policies

We empirically study the effects of broadband internet diffusion on local election outcomes and on local government policies using rich data from the U.K. Our analysis suggests that the internet has displaced other media with greater news content (i.e., radio and newspapers), thereby decreasing voter turnout, most notably among less-educated and younger individuals. In turn, we find suggestive evidence that local government expenditures and taxes are lower in areas with greater broadband diffusion, particularly expenditures targeted at less-educated voters. Our findings are consistent with the idea that voters' information plays a key role in determining electoral participation, government policies and government size.

Sprache
Englisch

Erschienen in
Series: DIW Discussion Papers ; No. 1691

Klassifikation
Wirtschaft
Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
Econometric Modeling: General
Information and Internet Services; Computer Software
Thema
Internet
Newspaper
Media
Elections
Policy

Ereignis
Geistige Schöpfung
(wer)
Gavazza, Alessandro
Nardotto, Mattia
Valletti, Tommaso M.
Ereignis
Veröffentlichung
(wer)
Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW)
(wo)
Berlin
(wann)
2017

Handle
Letzte Aktualisierung
10.03.2025, 11:41 MEZ

Datenpartner

Dieses Objekt wird bereitgestellt von:
ZBW - Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften - Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft. Bei Fragen zum Objekt wenden Sie sich bitte an den Datenpartner.

Objekttyp

  • Arbeitspapier

Beteiligte

  • Gavazza, Alessandro
  • Nardotto, Mattia
  • Valletti, Tommaso M.
  • Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW)

Entstanden

  • 2017

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