http://cddrl.stanford.edu/events/7900
The Unintended Consequences of Internet Diffusion: Evidence from Malaysia
Program on Liberation Technology Seminar Series
DATE AND TIME
October 10, 2013
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
AVAILABILITY
Open to the public
No RSVP required
SPEAKER
Luke Miner - Data Scientist at Stanford University
Abstract:
Can the introduction of the Internet undermine incumbent power in a
semi-authoritarian regime? I examine this question using evidence from
Malaysia, where the incumbent coalition lost its 40-year monopoly on power in
2008. I develop a novel methodology for measuring Internet penetration,
matching IP addresses with physical locations, and apply it to the 2004 to 2008
period in Malaysia. Using distance to the backbone to instrument for endogenous
Internet penetration, I find that areas with higher Internet penetration
experience higher voter turnout and higher candidate turnover, with the
Internet accounting for one-third of the 11% swing against the incumbent party
in 2008. The results suggest that, in the absence of the Internet, the
opposition would not have achieved its historic upset in the 2008 elections.
Luke Miner is a recent Ph.D. in Economics from the London School of Economics.
He was also a postdoctoral fellowship at the Center on Democracy, Development
and the Rule of Law (CDDRL) in the Liberation Technology program. He is
currently working as a data scientist in the tech sector.
Miner’s research interests are political economy and development economics. In
particular, he aims to quantitatively assess the effect of the Internet and new
media on political accountability, development, and election outcomes. His past
research finds a strong effect of Internet diffusion on results of Malaysia's
2008 elections, where it contributed to the ruling coalition's largest
electoral setback in thirty years. His current research looks at the effect of
the Internet on the 2008 US presidential elections, in particular as a means of
promoting campaign contributions.
LOCATION
Wallenberg Theater
Wallenberg Hall
450 Serra Mall, Building 160
Stanford, Ca 94305-2055
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