The role of the media in developing countries

A growing economic literature on the media has shown that by providing information on policy implementation and outcomes it serves an important role for the accountability of policymakers. In the context of developing countries, two further aspects deserve particular attention. First, in addition to providing information, the media may also change the "preferences" of viewers, e.g. by exposing them to now lifestyles and role models. Second, where the structure of the media industry is not very competitive, the media may be captured by political interests and this political capture may distort the content of what the media report. This project will try to shed light on the role of media content in changing individual behaviour, and possibly on political incentives to distort content.