Polarize and Rule: Independent Media in Autocracy and the Role of Social Media

This event is open to NYU affiliates only. This event is part of the NYU Politics Department’s Comparative Politics Speaker Series.

How do independent media affect the support of the regime in an autocracy? Dr. Enikopolov carried out two complementary field experiments in Russia at the city and individual levels, randomizing access to the country’s only independent TV channel before the 2016 parliamentary elections. In both experiments, he finds that independent media foster polarization. They increase turnout and pro-government votes among regime supporters. However, this effect only applies to voters who rely on news from social media. Among consumers of traditional media, the independent channel uniformly decreases regime support. His results highlight how social media can condition the effect of traditional media. 

Ruben Enikolopov is Assistant Professor at UPF, ICREA Research Professor at Barcelona Institute for Political Economy and Governance (IPEG), BSE Research Professor, and Nordea Assistant Professor of Finance at the New Economic School in Moscow. He has been elected Chair of the Review of Economic Studies (position starting in July 2023). He has been a consultant to the World Bank (2005-10) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (2007-08).