(iPoster) Social Change by Decree: Autocratic Reforms and Social Norms

• In Event: Poster Session: Immigration Politics in a Changing World & Middle East Section
  In Poster Session: Poster Session: Middle East Section

Abstract

When social reforms conflict with prevailing norms, why do some reforms fail and backfire when others succeed and produce the desired social change? This paper explores the conditions under which elites in autocracies can alter social norms by strategically deploying narratives that reframe social identities. I draw on the move by the regime in Saudi Arabia to introduce sweeping social reforms to open up and to rebrand the kingdom. I argue that the impact of the reforms on social norms is mediated by the persuasiveness of elite frames on the perceived compatibility (vs. opposition) between the reform and the national culture. I test this using a survey experiment in which respondents are exposed to real media campaigns offering competing identity-based narratives on the reasons for the social reforms. The findings contribute to debates about the effectiveness of elite strategies in reshaping mass attitudes and behaviors.

Author

• Hood Ahmed, University of Michigan