Countering Prejudice and Discrimination toward Victims of Criminal Violence: A Field Experiment in Mexico

A critical obstacle to implementing policies that successfully curb insecurity is the stigmatization of victims of human rights violations, which biases anti-crime policies. This research proposal seeks to evaluate the causal effect of a media-based intervention on prejudice reduction in the context of Mexico’s Drug War. I apply for a Kellogg Institute Research Grant to carry out an “education entertainment” intervention in partnership with a national organization that runs an annual film festival in 13 Mexican states. Specifically, I implement a field experiment in which subjects are randomly invited to watch a documentary about enforced disappearance or a placebo film. Grant funds will provide individuals with incentives to participate in the experiment. This project contributes to the prejudice reduction and criminal violence literatures by examining whether media campaigns reduce hostility towards victims and build support for reforms that curb power abuses by security forces.