Delivering the Vote: The Political Effect of Free Mail Delivery in Early Twentieth Century America

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Boston University; Colgate University
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC HISTORY
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0022-0507
• DOI: 10.1017/S0022050716000784
• 发表日期: 2016
• 页码: 769-802
• 关键词: rural free delivery; voting-behavior; media bias; news

摘要

The rollout of Rural Free Delivery (RFD) in the early twentieth century dramatically increased the frequency with which rural voters received information. This article examines the effect of RFD on voters' and Representatives' behavior using a panel dataset and instrumental variables. Communities receiving more routes spread their votes to more parties; there is no evidence it changed turnout. RFD shifted positions taken by Representatives in line with rural constituents, including increased support for pro-temperance and anti-immigration policies. These results appear only in counties with newspapers, supporting the hypothesis that information flows play a crucial role in the political process.