Research Seminar on Diversity and Development Ekaterina Borisova: "Elections, Protest and Trust in Government: A Natural Experiment from Russia"
HSE International Center for the Study of Institutions and Development (ICSID) and NES Center for the Study of Diversity and Social Interactions are pleased to announce their next joint Research Seminar on Diversity and Development.The event is held jointly with the seminar “Political Economy”.
The seminar will take place in the HSE building at 26-4 Shabolovka str., room 4322, at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 28, 2017.
Working language of the seminar is English.
We would like to ask everyone who requires an HSE pass to send an e-mail to Olga Masyutina (stating your name, surname, your affiliation and contact e-mail address) until 10 a.m., March 28.
Abstract: How do elections and post-election protest shape political attitudes under autocracy? Taking advantage of the largely exogenous variation in the timing of a survey conducted in Moscow, we examine the short-term impact of the parliamentary election of December 4th, and the large protest of December 10th on trust in the Russian government. The election had little effect on attitudes toward government, perhaps because vote improprieties were not new information. In contrast, the large and unexpected protest of December 10th increased trust in government. We argue that when protests are permitted unexpectedly, citizens may update their beliefs about the trustworthiness of the government. We find that heightened trust arises largely from non-supporters of the ruling party - those most likely to be surprised by permission to hold the protest - updating their beliefs rather than from social desirability bias, a perceived improvement in government performance, or a “halo” effect. It also suggests that autocrats can increase trust in government by allowing protests when it is unexpected.
We look forward to seeing you!
tel: +7 (495) 772 95 90*22210
e-mail: omasyutina@hse.ru
Kind regards,
ICSID and NES CSDSI Team