Working Papers

“The Rise of National Politics in the Digital Age”, with Fang Guo.

Abstract. How has the rise of mobile internet and social media contributed to the recent trend of nationalization in U.S. politics, where local elections are increasingly influenced by national issues rather than local concerns? Using a within-legislator difference-in-differences design, we find that increased mobile internet access — a key driver of online news and social media — has led members of Congress to prioritize nationwide legislation over local issues. Representatives in districts with greater mobile internet coverage allocate 2% more staff resources to policy development and introduce 8.5% more bills with broad national implications that attract widespread media attention. They are also less active in committees addressing local matters and more focused on those developing broad policies. This shift is driven by increased voter engagement with national news, social media reach, and the influence of out-of-district donors, reducing the trade-off for members of Congress between addressing national and local issues. Finally, expanded mobile internet access drives greater ideological divergence, as representatives adopt stronger partisan positions on national topics. These findings highlight how media and communication technologies are transforming the strategies and priorities of political elites, driving them to prioritize polarizing national issues and potentially deepening ideological divides across parties.

“Filling the Gap or Perpetuating Information Inequality? The Impact of Nonprofit Newsrooms on Political Knowledge and Accountability” 

Abstract. This paper explores the role of nonprofit news outlets in addressing the decline of local newspapers in the U.S. and their impact on voter knowledge, political orientation, and political representation. By leveraging the staggered entry of nonprofit newsrooms across counties from 2010 to 2022, I find that the presence of a nonprofit news outlet has no significant effect on voter political knowledge, turnout, or the efforts of representatives in state legislatures and the House of Representatives. Moreover, it reinforces the progressive leaning and support for liberal policies among individuals with a high propensity to consume this type of news. These results can be attributed to several factors: first, nonprofit newsrooms are concentrated in areas that are already well served by traditional local news outlets; second, using a representative sample of U.S. Internet users, I find that, on average, nonprofit newsroom readers already have a high level of news consumption. Finally, through a text analysis of nonprofit news articles, I show that nonprofit newsrooms exhibit a strong left-wing political bias, aligning with the political orientation of their funding sources. These findings suggest that non-market solutions to information shortages, instead of achieving their intended goals, may cater more to donor perspectives and niche audiences than to the interests of the average citizen, thereby increasing inequality in news consumption and contributing to political polarization.


Work in Progress


“Broadcasting Change: The Role of Television in Shaping Public Opinion and Mobilizing Support for the Civil Rights Movement”, with Saumitra Jha and Rikhil Bhavnani.


“Re-evaluating Congressional Productivity: The Impact of Technology on Legislative Staff Efficiency”


“The Political Impact of Media Subsidies”


Peer-Reviewed Publication

“Heroes and Villains: The Effects of Heroism on Autocratic Values and Nazi Collaboration in France”, with Julia Cagé, Pauline Grosjean and Saumitra Jha. American Economic Review, Vol. 113(7), July 2023: 1888-1932.