Board #41 - Can Mouthpieces Help the Government in “Rumor” Denial? Experimental Evidence from an Authoritarian Country

• In Event: 75-300 - Poster Session: Challenges to the Legitimacy of Authoritarian Governments

Brief Overview

The study examines how authoritarian governments benefit from using mouthpieces (opinion leaders, scholars) to deny unfavorable news, even if it proves true. Mouthpieces help maintain public opinion more effectively than direct government denial.

Author

• Junjie Li, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor