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The Political Legacy of Entertainment TV

Author

Listed:
  • Ruben Durante

    (UPF - Universitat Pompeu Fabra [Barcelona], CEPR - Center for Economic Policy Research, ECON - Département d'économie (Sciences Po) - Sciences Po - Sciences Po - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique)

  • Paolo Pinotti

    (Bocconi University [Milan, Italy], CEPR - Center for Economic Policy Research)

  • Andrea Tesei

    (QMUL - Queen Mary University of London, CEP - LSE - Centre for Economic Performance - LSE - London School of Economics and Political Science, CEPR - Center for Economic Policy Research)

Abstract

We study the political impact of commercial television in Italy exploiting the staggered introduction of Berlusconi's private TV network, Mediaset, in the early 1980s. We find that individuals with early access to Mediaset all-entertainment content were more likely to vote for Berlusconi's party in 1994, when he first ran for office. The effect persists for five elections and is driven by heavy TV viewers, namely the very young and the elderly. Regarding possible mechanisms, we find that individuals exposed to entertainment TV as children were less cognitively sophisticated and civic-minded as adults, and ultimately more vulnerable to Berlusconi's populist rhetoric.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruben Durante & Paolo Pinotti & Andrea Tesei, 2019. "The Political Legacy of Entertainment TV," SciencePo Working papers Main hal-03948081, HAL.
    • Handle: RePEc:hal:spmain:hal-03948081
    DOI: 10.1257/aer.20150958
    as

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