Data and Code for: All Eyes on Them: A Field Experiment on Citizen Oversight and Electoral Integrity

Principal Investigator(s):  View help for Principal Investigator(s) Natalia Garbiras-Díaz, European University Institute; Mateo Montenegro, CEMFI

Version:  View help for Version V2

Name File Type Size Last Modified
  Code 05/01/2022 01:05:PM
  Data 05/01/2022 01:05:PM
  Output 01/06/2024 10:04:AM
README.pdf application/pdf 315.6 KB 05/03/2022 12:18:PM

Project Citation: 

Garbiras-Díaz, Natalia, and Montenegro, Mateo. Data and Code for: All Eyes on Them: A Field Experiment on Citizen Oversight and Electoral Integrity. Nashville, TN: American Economic Association [publisher], 2024. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2024-01-08. https://doi.org/10.3886/E160921V2

Project Description

Summary:  View help for Summary Can Information and Communication Technologies help citizens monitor their elections? We analyze a large-scale field experiment designed to answer this question in Colombia. We leveraged Facebook advertisements sent to over 4 million potential voters to encourage citizen reporting of electoral irregularities. We also cross-randomized whether candidates were informed about the campaign in a subset of municipalities. Total reports, and evidence-backed ones, experienced a large increase. Across a wide array of measures, electoral irregularities decreased. Finally, the reporting campaign reduced the vote share of candidates dependent on irregularities. This light-touch intervention is more cost-effective than monitoring efforts traditionally used by policymakers.
Funding Sources:  View help for Funding Sources JPAL Governance Initiative (GR-1047); George and Obie Schultz Fund; Center on the Politics of Development

Scope of Project

Subject Terms:  View help for Subject Terms Randomized Control Trial; elections; Colombia; ICT; election fraud
JEL Classification:  View help for JEL Classification
      C93 Field Experiments
      D72 Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
      O17 Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
      P16 Capitalist Systems: Political Economy
Geographic Coverage:  View help for Geographic Coverage Colombia
Time Period(s):  View help for Time Period(s) 9/6/2019 – 10/28/2019
Collection Date(s):  View help for Collection Date(s) 2015 – 2019
Universe:  View help for Universe Study group intervention: 698 municipalities in Colombia.
Surveys: adult Facebook users (aged 18 years or older) living in the sample of municipalities that are part of the study group. 
Data Type(s):  View help for Data Type(s) administrative records data; aggregate data; experimental data; geographic information system (GIS) data; survey data

Methodology

Data Source:  View help for Data Source Administrative and proprietary data
Unit(s) of Observation:  View help for Unit(s) of Observation Municipality, Individuals
Geographic Unit:  View help for Geographic Unit Municipality

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Published Versions

V2 [2024-01-08]

V1 [2022-07-27]

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