Internet and Politics: Evidence from U.K. Local Elections and Local Government Policies
研究了宽带互联网普及对英国地方选举投票率和地方政府政策的影响，发现互联网挤占了报纸和广播等新闻媒体，降低了投票率，尤其在低学历和年轻人中，并暗示政府支出和税收在宽带普及高的地区更低。
Abstract We empirically study the effects of broadband internet diffusion on local election outcomes and on local government policies using rich data from the U.K. Our analysis shows that the internet has displaced other media with greater news content (i.e. radio and newspapers), thereby decreasing voter turnout, most notably among less-educated and younger individuals. In turn, we find suggestive evidence that local government expenditures and taxes are lower in areas with greater broadband diffusion, particularly expenditures targeted at less-educated voters. Our findings are consistent with the idea that voters’ information plays a key role in determining electoral participation, government policies, and government size.