Crises and Threats in Context: The Boston Marathon Bombings as a Natural Experiment

Abstract:

How do citizens respond to unanticipated domestic crises and threats to public safety? Using a series of novel datasets, this study examines the political behavior of residents of Boston after the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing and the manhunt that followed. The ten hour 'lockdown',  or 'shelter in place', ordered by city officials during the manhunt directly affected nearly one million people. The lockdown changed behavior en masse, with most residents of Boston and certain nearby communities staying indoors until the order was lifted. This study sheds light on how these experiences altered citizens' expectations of local government performance, and how this impact varies over time and  space. Voter-file data, data from Boston's Citizen Relationship Management (CRM) system, and census data, are used to explore these effects in a range of research designs. Finally, data from a survey experiment conducted days after the bombing is used to complement the observational findings.

Last updated on 08/13/2016