Developing states face enduring obstacles to generating tax revenue through sanctions for non-compliance. Can they boost compliance by instead offering positive inducements to citizens who pay their tax bills? We study the effects of a randomized lottery in Montevideo, Uruguay, in which the...

Misinformation is widely seen as a threat to democracy that should be promptly addressed by scholars, journalists, and policy-makers. However, some of the debated solutions are either controversial (internet platform regulation) or may be difficult and costly to implement in many settings...

Randomization is often hailed as a just and useful procedure to distribute government benefits in contexts of oversubscription, with the added benefit of allowing assessments of the impact of government programs. However, little is known about whether those affected by randomization also...

What are the effects of state-provided homeownership on political values and voice? Homeownership is expected to lead to more conservative attitudes and more political engagement. At the same time, the receipt of government benefits should increase claim-making and support for redistribution. We...

We investigate both direct and indirect political dividends of public policies by examining Minha Casa, Minha Vida, a housing program in Brazil that selects beneficiaries through a lottery. We surveyed lottery participants and found that winners are not more likely to support incumbents. Yet...

In many resource-dependent states, elites may face an important trade-off between the economic benefits of diversification and the possibility for future political competition that diversification may engender. However, distinctive features of global resource markets and national political...