Do Politicians Respond to Political Protests? Effects of the 2013 Protests in Brazil

Orientador(a): Claudio Ferraz

Political protests are becoming a widespread movement all over the world. In this context, it is important to study whether they are an effective instrument through which citizens can affect political outcomes. Focusing my analysis in the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil, I analyze whether the protests that took place in Brazil in 2013 had any effects in the deputies’ behavior. Using a diff-in-diff approach, I show that the protests did not achieve a positive impact on politicians. Facing this result, we can ask if citizens changed their political behavior – like the way they vote – as a response to the lack of effectiveness of the protests, impacting the political equilibrium. To answer this question, I use data of the 2014 elections, analyzing if voters from places that had at least one political protest behave differently from voters that have not experienced a protest.