Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP11282
Authors: Giovanni Facchini; Tommaso Frattini; Cora Signorotto
Abstract: We investigate how media exposure affects elected representatives’ response to preferenceson immigration and trade policy. Using a novel dataset spanning the period 1986-2004, inwhich we match individual opinion surveys with congressmen roll call votes, we find thatgreater exposure to media coverage tends to increase a politician’s accountability when itcomes to migration policy making, while we find no effect for trade policy. Our results thussuggest that more information on the behavior of elected officials affects decisions only whenthe policy issue is perceived to be salient by the electorate.
Keywords: Political Economy; Public Opinion; Roll Call Votes; Media Exposure
JEL Codes: F22; H89
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Greater exposure to media coverage (L82) | politicians' accountability concerning migration policy (J18) |
| ten percentage point increase in pro-migration sentiment (F22) | 24 percentage point increase in the likelihood of a pro-migration vote (D79) |
| Media exposure (L82) | accountability in trade policy (F13) |