Research

Can shared identities help overcome political divides in polarized settings? We answer this question with a field experiment on Twitter during the Brazilian 2022 elections. Although both congruence in political (supporting the same candidate) and affective (rooting for the same football team) identities increase follow-backs and reduce blocks, the positive effect of shared affective identity weakens when information on political identity is available. Using observational live-streamed data from Twitter during the 2022 World Cup, we complement our analysis by exploring the public political leaning of Brazilian players. Analyzing the content of tweets posted by Brazilian nationals during the country's games, we document significant differences in fans' reactions depending on their political alignment with the specific players that triggered relevant events in the game. Our results indicate that political identity can hinder the potential of other shared identities to reduce political divides and foster social cohesion.

AEA RCT Registry

Media Coverage: Esto no es Economía

This paper documents discrimination in the formation of professional networks among academic economists. We created human-like bot accounts that claimed to be PhD students in economics, differing in gender (male or female), race (Black or White), and university affiliation (top- or lower-ranked). The bots randomly followed users who belong to the #EconTwitter community. Follow-back rates were 12% higher for White students compared to Black students; 21% higher for students from top-ranked universities compared to accounts of lower-ranked institutions, and 25% higher for female compared to male students. The racial gap persisted even among students from top-ranked institutions.

AEA RCT Registry

Media Coverage: Promarket; Folha de São Paulo

This paper studies the effects of the election of Black candidates as mayors in Brazil on Black students’ educational choices and attainment. Using a regression discontinuity design comparing municipalities where Black candidates either won or lost the election by a small margin, we first document that Black students from municipalities where Black candidates win are more likely to enroll for the National High School Examination (ENEM), a high-stakes exam used as an admission criteria for many universities. Effects start two years after the election and persist for up to eight years. We also document positive, but much smaller effects for White students. Consistent with the effect on ENEM enrollment, Black students from municipalities where Black candidates won the election are more likely to be enrolled in universities and, in subsequent years, to graduate. Finally, exploring mechanisms, we find suggestive evidence that shifts in students’ aspirations play (at least partially) an important role: (i) secondary and tertiary education are not primary responsibilities of mayors; (ii) Black mayors do not change policies that could affect our outcomes; and (iii) the effects are strong and similar for Black students from both public and private schools, while weaker for White students from public schools.

Media Coverage: Foco Economico