This page offers the latest information about workshop series by WINPEC (Waseda Institute of Political Economy).

Empirical Microeconomics

Jun Goto (Kobe University)

Jun. 30 2022
Title The Roots of Political Protests: Persistent Effects of Having Voting Rights in Macroeconomic Crises
Date June 30, 2022 (Thursday) 16:30-18:00
Location via Zoom
Abstract This study examines whether, how, and why holding suffrage under economic recessions bifurcates individual preferences to participate in political protests. By combining World Values Survey with the detailed historical information on macroeconomic fluctuations, the study covers respondents in thirty-nine countries from 1890 to 2008. Using a regression discontinuity design, I show that those who experienced a macroeconomic shock right above the voting age are more likely to engage in political protests than the others who experienced it right before the voting age. This effect is fairly robust even after ruling out other confounding institutional and social-norm-based effects. Further investigation indicates that individuals who are granted voting rights (i) are more interested in politics, (ii) have higher expectations of the role of government for redistribution and eliminating inequality, and (iii) have a lower evaluation of the performance of the incumbent government. This study provides evidence that civil rights can shape people's political preferences and actions.
Paper
Slide
Note Please register via the following link https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJApce-sqjMiGdw28IIrWrZ02GVUo0QCkeAz