Broadband Internet and Protests: Evidence from the Occupy Movement

41 Pages Posted: 15 Apr 2016 Last revised: 28 Feb 2018

See all articles by Guilherme Amorim

Guilherme Amorim

Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

Rafael Costa Lima

Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE)

Breno Sampaio

Universidade Federal de Pernambuco

Date Written: January 9, 2018

Abstract

This paper investigates the influence of broadband Internet availability in the occurrence of events of civil unrest, using collected data on the locations of protesting activities related with 2011's Occupy Movement in the U.S. We consider the hypothesis that the Internet sets an environment for communication and information exchange that boosts collective dissatisfaction towards unfair policies. Linear estimates suggest that each new Internet Service Provider (which is associated to an increase in broadband penetration of about 0.5 p.p.) accounts for an increase between 1 and 3 p.p. in the probability of observing protests in a given location. Results are consistent when analyzing county-level data for the contiguous U.S., for each different U.S. region separately (Northeast, Midwest, South and West), and when analyzing city-level data for California.

Keywords: Internet, Civic Engagement, Protests, Occupy Movement

JEL Classification: C26, D74, L86

Suggested Citation

Amorim, Guilherme and Costa Lima, Rafael and Sampaio, Breno, Broadband Internet and Protests: Evidence from the Occupy Movement (January 9, 2018). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2764162 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2764162

Guilherme Amorim (Contact Author)

Universidade Federal de Pernambuco ( email )

United States

Rafael Costa Lima

Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (UFPE) ( email )

Cidade Universitária
Cidade Universitária, Pernambuco 50670-901
Brazil

Breno Sampaio

Universidade Federal de Pernambuco ( email )

United States

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