Publication Details

Description:
This paper presents the findings from a large-scale field experiment examining the effects of non-partisan information campaigns and get-out-the-vote initiatives on voter turnout in competitive authoritarian settings, specifically during the 2018 Bangladeshi general elections. The study reveals how such campaigns can influence the partisan composition of voter turnout, potentially affecting the perceived legitimacy of election results.

Key Findings:

• Non-partisan information campaigns increased voter turnout in government strongholds but decreased it in opposition areas.
• The interventions, while intended to be neutral, appeared to benefit the incumbent party by modifying the competitive dynamics of the election.
• Such effects highlight the challenges of conducting free and fair elections in competitive authoritarian regimes.

Contact Information:
Asad Islam
Centre for Development Economics and Sustainability (CDES)
Monash University, VIC 3145, Australia
Email: asadul.islam@monash.edu

Journal:
The Economic Journal

DOI:
10.1093/ej/uead115

License:
This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0).

Related Project:
Voting or Abstaining in 'Managed' Elections? A Field Experiment in Bangladesh