We demonstrate that exposure to the news media causes Americans take public stands on specific issues, join national policy conversations, and express themselves publicly-all key components of democratic politics-more often than they would otherwise. After recruiting 48 mostly small outlets, we chose groups these outlets write publish articles subjects approved, dates randomly assigned. estimated causal effect proximal measures, such as website pageviews Twitter discussion articles'...

Do street-level bureaucrats discriminate in the services they provide to constituents? We use a field experiment measure differential information provision about voting by local election administrators United States. contact over 7,000 officials 48 states who are responsible for providing voters and implementing voter ID laws. find that different potential of putative ethnicities. Emails sent from Latino aliases significantly less likely receive any response than non-Latino white responses...

Abstract For decades, scholars have attributed Black Americans' unified political and policy views, despite growing internal class status differences, to a strong perception of linked fate. In recent years, the concept has been measured in other racial ethnic groups with regard gender, but not applied social statuses such as or religion. Without broad comparisons across different statuses, however, one cannot determine appropriate empirical test most distinctive correlates this canonical...

This paper presents new causal estimates of incarceration’s effect on voting, using administrative data criminal sentencing and voter turnout. I use the random case assignment process a major county court system as source exogenous variation in misdemeanor cases. Focusing defendants allows for generalization to large population, such cases are very common. Among first-time defendants, find evidence that receiving short jail sentence decreases voting next election by several percentage...

Local governments operate 311 service request lines across the United States, and publicly available data from these provide a continuously measured, geographically fine-grained, non-self-reported measure of citizens’ interactions with government. It seems promising neighborhood political participation. However, are empirically theoretically different many common citizen-level participation measures. We compare aggregated call three other measures civic participation: voter turnout,...

To investigate the impact of US Voting Rights Act (VRA) 1965 on Black and versus White infant deaths in Jim Crow states.

Contact with the criminal legal system has been shown to reduce individuals’ political participation, but its effect on friends and family members is less clear. Do people who see loved ones arrested or incarcerated become mobilized change system, do they withdraw from life? I address this question using administrative data one large county, identifying registered voters live someone facing misdemeanor charges. Court records vote histories allow me accurately measure proximate justice...

As Black Lives Matter protests swept across the United States in recent years, protesters encountered a mix of police reactions: Some news reports described military gear and widespread arrests, whereas others reported minimal involvement. We developed an original dataset BLM that shows reactions varied widely, even when comparing with similar messages tactics. then investigated this variation survey experiment found observers are more likely to describe as violent protest is met heavy...

Abstract Past research shows that growing inequality often does not result in citizen demands for redistribution. We examine one mechanism could explain why people do protest inequality: a particular sub-prediction of system justification theory (SJT). SJT argues humans have psychological need to justify their social system. The specific tested here is the idea itself increases justification. This yield negative feedback loop which political responses grows ever less likely as more extreme....

Contact with the carceral state—ranging from police stops to prison time—is a frequent experience in United States, particularly communities marginalized on basis of race and class. In recent years, political scientists have sought measure impacts these encounters individuals’ communities’ engagement. This review describes main sources evidence this literature what we learn them. I present series stylized facts about state behavior, highlighting places where know great deal (such as relative...

Abstract Prior research demonstrates that responses to surveys can vary depending on the race, gender, or ethnicity of investigator asking question. We build upon this by empirically testing how information about researcher identity in online affects subject responses. do so conducting an experiment Amazon’s Mechanical Turk which we name advertisement for and informed consent page order cue different racial gender identities. fail reject null hypothesis there is no difference respondents...

We assess the importance of public’s policy agreement with Supreme Court on public approval court. Using survey data a range recent court cases, we measure respondents’ perceived ideological closeness to Then, test various theories (doctrinal, functional, attitudinal). People who believe has decided cases as they themselves would have done, or that judges share their partisanship, report higher than those perceive ideologically distant from them. compare these findings similar effects...

Abstract Do parties face an electoral penalty when they nominate candidates of colour? We employ a regression discontinuity design using state legislative election data from 2018, 2019, and 2020 to isolate the effect nominating candidate colour on party's general performance. Utilising this approach with real-world heightens external validity relative existing racial studies, largely supported by surveys experiments. find no evidence that are disadvantaged in elections narrowly nominated...

Technological innovation and access to big data have allowed partisan gerrymandering increase dramatically in recent redistricting cycles.

Do minimum wage increases mobilize low-income voters? We use administrative data to measure the effect of on voting behavior. merge public records New York City municipal employee wages observe changes in by people affected and unaffected across multiple elections. Difference-in-differences estimates indicate that recent York's increased voter turnout among workers several percentage points. These findings are robust a range specifications approaches. Further, an analysis county-level panel...

Recent debates about enfranchising incarcerated people raise the question of how many additional votes such policies would generate. Existing research finds very low voter participation among previously people, but it remains unclear often might vote from prison if given opportunity. We use data states that allow to while for felony crimes, address this question. merge records with file estimate currently are registered and voted in recent elections. Estimates suggest few (under one 10)...

Millions of people in the US are eligible to vote despite past criminal convictions, but their voter participation rates extraordinarily low. In this study, we report results a series randomized controlled trials (RCTs) mail-based interventions aimed at encouraging with records register North Carolina. We use novel approach identify and contact population, using combination administrative data from commercial vendor. our main experiment, conducted fall 2020, find that, on average, mailers...

Millions of people in the US are eligible to vote despite past criminal convictions, but their voter participation rates extraordinarily low. In this study, we report results a series randomized controlled trials (RCTs) mail-based interventions aimed at encouraging with records register North Carolina. We use novel approach identify and contact population, using combination administrative data from commercial vendor. our main experiment, conducted fall 2020, find that, on average, mailers...