Handcuffs for the Grabbing Hand? Media Capture and Government Accountability

Besley, Timothy J.; Prat, Andrea

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Handcuffs for the Grabbing Hand? Media Capture and Government Accountability

LSE STICERD Research Paper No. PEPP07

45 Pages Posted: 11 Jul 2008

See all articles by Timothy J. Besley

Timothy J. Besley

London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) - Department of Economics; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER); Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

Andrea Prat

Columbia University - Columbia Business School, Finance; Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

There are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: August 2005

Abstract

It has long been recognized that the media play an essential role in government accountability. However, even in the absence of censorship, the government may influence news content by maintaining a "cozy" relationship with the media. This paper develops a model of democratic politics in which media capture is endogenous. The model offers insights into the features of the media market that determine the ability of the government to exercise such capture and hence to influence political outcomes

JEL Classification: I21, O15

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Besley, Timothy J. and Prat, Andrea, Handcuffs for the Grabbing Hand? Media Capture and Government Accountability (August 2005). LSE STICERD Research Paper No. PEPP07, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1158329