Mobile Internet access and political outcomes: Evidence from South Africa

Abstract

I exploit the staggered introduction of 3G mobile Internet technology across South Africa to estimate its impact on political participation, electoral competition, voters’ preferences, and protests. Combining granular coverage data with administrative records on municipal elections, I show that in 2016 mobile Internet availability caused a 2-percentage-point increase in voter turnout and a 3-percentage-point reduction in the vote share of the ruling party. The main opponents gained from mobile Internet arrival. The number of parties running for election and the number of protests grew. I provide suggestive evidence that both information and coordination mechanisms could explain the observed results.