Improving Political Communication: A Field Experiment in Pakistan

• In Event: Experiments on Citizen-Elite Communication and Elite Responsiveness

Abstract

Elections are a blunt tool for accountability. Can enhanced politician-voter communication in the periods between elections improve democratic outcomes? We partner with a politician in Pakistan and design an experiment with Interactive Voice Response (IVR) – a technology that enables him to robocall a large number of voters in his own voice to ask them questions and receive feedback. We randomize whether respondents receive a call soliciting preferences about upcoming decisions the politician must make. A follow-up call randomizes how responsive the politician is to voters’ preferences. We study the effect of this communication on voters’ evaluations of the incumbent, their views on government performance, and the likelihood that they will hold the politician accountable.

Authors

• Saad Gulzar, Stanford University

• Miriam A. Golden, European University Institute

• Luke Richard Sonnet, University of California, Los Angeles