When people have been living under a censored, authoritarian regime for a long time, it’s hard for them to learn new information, but it is not impossible. That’s one of the lessons Ceren Baysan, Assistant Professor with the Department of Economics, has learned through her on-going research in Türkiye. Her work in the country is revealing nuances that suggest democracy in both Türkiye, and elsewhere, is less fragile than she once thought.

“In 2017, I conducted a study where I evaluated an information campaign delivered by one of the opposition parties,” Professor Baysan said. “The information was different than what people had been hearing and I found that the campaigns increased polarization. The average effect on vote share for the opposition was zero because it increased the opposition’s vote share in some places and decreased it in places where they were already weaker. This made me think, ‘Oh, wow, there’s nothing one can do.’ It would be like taking Russia and trying to give information to people on what’s happening in Ukraine. A lot of people don’t believe the information they’re receiving or they interpret it to fit their worldview.” [Read more…]