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Galina Zudenkova (TU Dortmund University)
Information and Communication Technologies, Protests, and Censorship
Abstract: We develop a theory of information flows and protests when citizens use information and communication technologies (ICTs) for protest coordination. Governments can respond by restricting access to ICTs used for coordination. We find that the introduction of communication technologies increases the probability of policy changes, but this effect is weaker in economies that do not use ICTs for production. We also expect intermediate-competent governments to use coordination censorship, though this effect is weaker in economies that use ICTs extensively. Some high-frequency empirical evidence is consistent with our predictions.
Joint with Maxim Ananyev, Maria Petrova, and Dimitrios Xefteris
