24 research outputs found
A digital media literacy intervention increases discernment between mainstream and false news in the United States and India
No full textThis is the final version. Available on open access from the National Academy of Sciences via the DOI in this recordData deposition: Data files and scripts necessary to replicate the results in this article are available at the Dataverse repository at https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/Q5QINN. The US study preanalysis plan is available at https://osf.io/u3sgc. The India study preanalysis plan is available at https://osf.io/97rnz.Widespread belief in misinformation circulating online is a critical challenge for modern societies. While research to date has focused on psychological and political antecedents to this phenomenon, few studies have explored the role of digital media literacy shortfalls. Using data from preregistered survey experiments conducted around recent elections in the United States and India, we assess the effectiveness of an intervention modeled closely on the world's largest media literacy campaign, which provided "tips" on how to spot false news to people in 14 countries. Our results indicate that exposure to this intervention reduced the perceived accuracy of both mainstream and false news headlines, but effects on the latter were significantly larger. As a result, the intervention improved discernment between mainstream and false news headlines among both a nationally representative sample in the United States (by 26.5%) and a highly educated online sample in India (by 17.5%). This increase in discernment remained measurable several weeks later in the United States (but not in India). However, we find no effects among a representative sample of respondents in a largely rural area of northern India, where rates of social media use are far lower.European Union Horizon 2020Facebook Integrity Foundational Research Award
Spatial Politics: Sociality, Transparency, and Ideas of Community in Delhi and Gurgaon
No full textThis chapter seeks to explore certain ideas around corruption, transparency, and community as they emanate from two different socioeconomic contexts. The first of these concerns the middle-class locality of what I will call New Gurgaon. In particular, my focus is on the privately developed DLF City—built by the Delhi Land and Finance (DLF) company—located in the district of Gurgaon that borders Delhi. Gurgaon is in the state of Haryana, located immediately south of the national capital, and a part of the National Capital Region (NCR). According to one report, the areas falling under the recently (2008) constituted Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) (that includes DLF City as well as several other privately developed residential enclaves) contains around 1.2 million persons. However, residents’ groups (known locally as the residents’ welfare associations or RWAs) dispute this estimate, claiming the true figure to be closer to 2 million. RWAs suggested that the actual figure had been suppressed so that the “corrupt” corporation did not have to provision for the actual number of residents
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The "Social" in Social Science: The Implications of Social Networks Theory for Political Economy and Political Methodology
No full textThis dissertation focuses on the consequences of considering social networks in standard frameworks in political economy and political methodology. The first paper introduces a game theoretic model where an allocator may distribute benefits over a social network, but the units in the network may extract rents from the allocator. This amendment to a classic allocation game generates unique predictions. Units can use their social position to extract rents and corruption persists in equilibrium. This has major implications for the provision of local public goods. The second paper derives a general statistical framework for causal identification in randomized experiments in the presence of spillovers. The paper addresses a major question in the analysis of randomized experiments and develops a framework that can be readily applied by practitioners. The third paper analyzes the impact of kinship networks on political preference formation in rural India. It is shown that kinship networks help to pool information, generate political discussion and provide explicit coordination of political behavior. This provides an account of how social structure functions in democratic developing country contexts
Global Metabolomics-Based Identification Of Small-Molecule Signals That Regulate Development In Nematodes
No full textSmall-molecule signaling serves important functions at all levels of organismal organization and requires diverse biosynthetic mechanisms for encoding biological information in chemical structures. Whereas fungi and bacteria have dedicated biosynthetic machinery that enables production of a great diversity of chemical structures, e.g. polyketides and non-ribosomal peptides, most animals are presumed to lack the ability to produce elaborate small-molecule architectures. Herein, the author describes the integrated use of 2D NMR and high resolution HPLC-MS/MS to aid global metabolomics of complex natural samples. Applications of this methodology to metabolomes of Caenorhabditis elegans and Pristionchus pacificus showed that these nematodes generate a library of complex signaling molecules, ascarosides and paratosides, via selective assembly of building blocks from several primary metabolic pathways, including an unusual xylopyranose -based nucleoside. These compounds act as interorganismal signals controlling larval development, adult morphology, or function as potent attraction pheromones. These findings further indicate species-specific evolution of chemical signaling in nematodes, with regard to both chemical structures and their biological functions. The library of small molecule signals presented in this dissertation, provide striking examples for combinatorial generation of structural diversity in nematodes and connect primary metabolism to regulation of development and adult phenotypic plasticity. Further the author used comparative metabolomics to investigate ascaroside biogenesis in C. elegans. Profiling ascarosides in C. elegans wild-type and peroxisomal -oxidation mutant metabolomes via HPLC-MS/MS and 2D NMR clarified the functions of the acyl-CoA-oxidase, ACOX-1, and the [beta]-ketoacyl-CoA thiolase, DAF-22 in ascaroside biogenesis. Following peroxisomal [beta]-oxidation, the ascarosides are selectively derivatized with moieties of varied biogenetic origin that can dramatically affect biological activity. Finally, using a 2D NMR-based comparative metabolomics approach, the author identified the endogenous ligands of the C. elegans nuclear hormone receptor (NHR), DAF-12, a vitamin D and liver X receptor homolog that regulates larval development, fat metabolism, and lifespan. The identified molecules include only one of two previously predicted DAF-12 ligands and feature unusual structural motifs, e.g. a 1-desaturated steroid. These results demonstrate the advantages of comparative metabolomics over traditional candidate-based approaches and provide a blueprint for the identification of ligands for other C. elegans and mammalian NHRs
The what, why, and how of changing cooling energy consumption in India’s urban households
No full textIndia's urbanising middle class is at the brink of an unprecedented increase in residential cooling demand, yet little is understood about the dynamics of changing cooling consumption. Based on empirical analyses, this research examines a set of fundamental questions around India's cooling transition. How is cooling conceptualised and what cooling strategies do households use? How, when and why are people purchasing and using their air conditioners (ACs)? Who is buying energy-efficient ACs? Is cooling consumption gendered? Using descriptive statistics, machine learning, and regression analysis to characterize AC usage, we examine a sample dataset (n = 2092) that is representative of areas in Delhi with above average AC penetration. We unpack perceptions of thermal comfort, and characterize the conditions under which households have greater AC use and make energy efficient purchase choices. AC usage is found to be a function of household habits (such as exposure to ACs in the workplace or schools), structural factors, and socio demographic features. While most ACs are in the middle energy-efficiency range, preferences, behaviours and awareness around energy efficiency are found to affect AC use as well as influence the purchase of more efficient ACs. Notable gender differences are observed, and women are found to be less involved in decision-making around cooling appliances and less aware of the technical know-how or energy-efficient schemes. Policy recommendations for a low-carbon cooling trajectory are discussed
Understanding and stopping the spread of misinformation in India: Survey and experimental evidence
No full textPrudence, Bluster, and Indian Crisis Management
No full textThis project seeks to assess the domestic political incentives that Indian leaders face the event of interstate crises with its rivals (Pakistan and China)
Understanding and stopping the spread of misinformation in India: Survey and experimental evidence
No full textEnergy demand transitions and climate mitigation in low-income urban households in India
No full textGrowing household energy demand, particularly in developing countries starting from a low base of consumption, is an important driver of current and future greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, our understanding of transitioning residential energy demand in developing country contexts is limited. This paper discusses changing energy service demands in urban low-income households in India, an emerging economy where the largest future growth in energy demand globally is projected to occur, and where 12 million new low-income homes for the urban poor are to be built by the government between 2015 and 2022. Based on mixed quantitative and qualitative methods comprising of surveys, interviews and focus group discussions, we analyze two inter-related questions: how does the demand for energy services change as the ability of low-income households to consume increases; and how do energy related behaviors influence household electricity consumption? We analyze the data collected to rank households according to their ability to consume and to identify the types of, and progression in, energy services acquired. The appliances and associated services pursued are lights, fans, televisions, and refrigerators, with varied energy efficiencies. Analogously, we quantify the influence of behavior in determining electricity consumption, and show that the inclusion of socio-demographic and behavioral factors explain a significant proportion (51%) of the variance in household electricity consumption, along with the role of material factors such as building physical characteristics and appliance stocks. We complement the statistical analysis with qualitative fieldwork and discuss changing energy related behaviors as the ability of households to consume increases. We conclude with recommendations for climate actions that are compatible with development in the growing low-income housing stock
Know your neighbor: The impact of social context on fairness behavior
No full textLaboratory experiments offer an opportunity to isolate human behaviors with a level of precision that is often difficult to obtain using other (survey-based) methods. Yet, experimental tasks are often stripped of any social context, implying that inferences may not directly map to real world contexts. We randomly allocate 632 individuals (grouped randomly into 316 dyads) from small villages in Sierra Leone to four versions of the ultimatum game. In addition to the classic ultimatum game, where both the sender and receiver are anonymous, we reveal the identity of the sender, the receiver or both. This design allows us to explore how fairness behavior is affected by social context in a natural setting where players are drawn from populations that are well-acquainted. We find that average offers increase when the receiver’s identity is revealed, suggesting that anonymous ultimatum games underestimate expected fair offers. This study suggest that researchers wishing to relate laboratory behavior to contexts in which the participants are well-acquainted should consider revealing the identities of the players during game play.</div
