Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy > Vol 6 > Issue 2

Displacement, Not Obstruction: Why Insecure Leaders Need Not Fear Free Media

Afiq bin Oslan, Department of Public Economics, Max Planck Institute for Tax Law and Public Finance, Germany, afiq.bin-oslan@tax.mpg.de , İpek Ece Şener, Department of Government, Harvard University, USA, isener@fas.harvard.edu
 
Suggested Citation
Afiq bin Oslan and İpek Ece Şener (2025), "Displacement, Not Obstruction: Why Insecure Leaders Need Not Fear Free Media", Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy: Vol. 6: No. 2, pp 135-160. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/113.00000120

Publication Date: 07 Jul 2025
© 2025 A. bin Oslan and İ. E. Şener
 
Subjects
Game theory,  Comparative politics,  Democracy,  Democratization,  Formal modelling,  Game theory,  Political corruption,  Political economy,  Public opinion
 
Keywords
Public opinionaccountabilitymediagame theory
 

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In this article:
Introduction 
Political Manipulation of Media 
The Games 
Solutions 
Applications 
Conclusion 
Appendix 
References 

Abstract

Leaders from across the political spectrum are often accused of manipulating the media to their benefit. Contemporary developments have proliferated the number of media sources available to citizens. We argue that new, independent media sources may actually be a boon for vulnerable leaders. In a simple formal model, we give citizens a limited capacity for attention and allow states to expend effort to selectively obstruct information sources. We demonstrate a phenomenon of “displacement”—where the presence of alternative sources of information can actually reduce the required effort for states to succeed in obfuscating citizen learning. This is because alternative media sources mean that states only need to divert citizen attention without resorting to complete obstruction, reducing the necessary effort expended. This result advances our understanding of how contemporary states navigate increasingly complex media landscapes. We supplement the model with discussions of the media policies of Malaysian and Turkish governments.

DOI:10.1561/113.00000120