Boxed lunches were provided.
BFI’s Becker Brown Bag series invites prominent speakers to engage undergraduate and graduate students in discussions on economics. The talks highlight the practical use of economics for answering real-world questions pertinent to businesses and policy makers.
On October 20, Professor Rachel Glennerster presented new research, “The Impact of Mass Media and Mass Media Campaigns: Lessons from West Africa.”
Abstract: How can we test the impact of mass media when it is all around us? In some parts of the world television is rare, newspapers rarer and while radio is the most common means of mass communication not everyone can afford to own one. We examine the results of several empirical studies, including randomized trials, that varied access to mass media to see the impact of mass media on politics, gender attitudes, and behavior. First, we show how bringing televised debates to communities without television helps voters make more informed choices and improves the performance of politicians in Sierra Leone, a country where voting is normally heavily based on ethnic background. Second, we examine how giving women radios in Burkina Faso deepens anti-women gender norms and reduces use of contraception, while a mass media campaign—randomized at the radio station level—increased uptake of contraception by effectively combating misinformation.