Globalization and Political Protests: The Role of Imported Movies

Abstract We study how political protest movies produced by and imported from democratic countries influence anti-government demonstrations in autocratic countries. We argue that public consumption of imported protest movies increases anti-government demonstrations by inducing imitation or copycat behaviors, facilitating coordination and social networking, and imparting democratic values. To test our argument, we compile and analyze a novel dataset on political protest movies from 2000 to 2018. We find that widely watched protest movies have a significant positive impact on anti-government demonstrations. Our instrumental variable estimation, along with a battery of placebo tests, provides further empirical support. Neither little-watched protest movies nor widely watched family romance movies affect protests, and widely watched imported protest movies do not impact prior political protests in autocracies or subsequent political protests in democracies. Our research contributes to the scholarship on the effects of globalization, foreign media, and international service trade, highlighting the role of foreign culture in shaping political outcomes.