Do campaign promises matter? This talk will draw from a recent research project on Philippine mayoral elections that examined how voters respond to campaign promises, after being presented with candidate policy platforms. The conclusion of the project suggests that voters who randomly received information about current campaign promises are more likely to vote for candidates closer to their own preferences; and that those also informed about past promises reward incumbents who fulfilled them. 

Cesi Cruz is Assistant Professor of Political Science at UCLA. Her research focuses on social networks and electoral politics, and on issues concerning economic growth and development, with a particular interest in the Philippines and Cambodia. Prior to joining the UCLA faculty this year, she was an assistant professor jointly appointed in the Vancouver School of Economics and the Department of Political Science at the University of British Columbia. She received her Ph.D. from UC San Diego.

Moderator: Lisandro Claudio, Assistant Professor of South & Southeast Asian Studies, UC Berkeley

More events can be found on the International Education Week 2021 website: https://global.ucla.edu/iew.

Sponsor(s): Center for Southeast Asian Studies, UC Berkeley Center for Southeast Asia Studies, UC Berkeley Filipinx and Philippine Studies Working Group