Why Do Governments Shut Down the Internet?

• In Event: Poster Session: Comparative Politics II & State Politics and Policy
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Comparative Politics II

Abstract

Why do governments shut down the internet? I claim that higher level of ethnic homogeneity within insurgent groups is associated with government-directed internet shutdowns. Ethnically homogenous insurgents are better able to mobilize the population of a region, which incentivizes governments to disrupt insurgent communication and coordination via the internet. My contribution to the literature is twofold. First, I examine the relationship between ethnic insurgencies and internet disruption. Second, I address the lack of empirical analyses of political internet shutdowns using a large-N sample. I use Google traffic data and other public sources to detect internet disruptions around the globe and then match that data with information on social unrest and ethnic homogeneity in the regions of interest. To address endogeneity issues, religious holiday calendars are used as an instrumental variable for social unrest. I establish that internet blackouts are more likely in regions with ethnically homogenous insurgents. This result suggests that foreign policymakers should invest in communication in ethnic enclaves.

Author

• Agabek Kabdullin