Seminar

Building State and Citizen: How Tax Collection in Congo Engenders Citizen Engagement with the State

Jonathan Weigel (London School of Economics)

May 16, 2019, 11:00–12:30

Toulouse

Room MF 323

Abstract

I examine a field experiment randomizing door-to-door tax collection across 431 neighborhoods of a Congolese city. I test the hypothesis that citizens will demand more inclusive governance when they are taxed. As predicted, the campaign increased political participation by 5 percentage points (28%):citizens in taxed neighborhoods were more likely to attend townhall meetings hosted by the government or to submit evaluations of its performance. I argue that citizens participate more because tax collection sends a signal of state capacity, raising the expected benefits of participation. Analysis of respondents’ beliefs about government capacity supports this mechanism.

Reference

Jonathan Weigel (London School of Economics), Building State and Citizen: How Tax Collection in Congo Engenders Citizen Engagement with the State, Development, Labor and Public Policy Seminar, Toulouse: TSE, May 16, 2019, 11:00–12:30, room MF 323.