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Cited by 74Political Conflict and GovernanceSocial Capital and NetworksRisk Perception and Management

Building Credibility and Cooperation in Low-Trust Settings: Persuasion and Source Accountability in Liberia During the 2014–2015 Ebola Crisis

Tsai, Lily L., Morse, Benjamin S., Blair, Robert A.·2020·Comparative Political Studies
DOI 10.1177/0010414019897698
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Abstract

How can governments in low-trust settings overcome their credibility deficit when promoting public welfare? To answer this question, we evaluate the effectiveness of the Liberian government’s door-to-door canvassing campaign during the 2014–2015 Ebola epidemic, which aimed to persuade residents to voluntarily comply with policies for containing the disease. Combining data from an original representative survey of Monrovia during the crisis with variation in the campaign’s reach and using multiple identification strategies, we find that the informational campaign was remarkably effective at increasing adherence to safety precautions, support for contentious control policies, and general trust in government. To uncover the pathways through which the campaign proved so effective, we conducted over 80 in-depth qualitative interviews in 40 randomly sampled communities. This investigation suggests that local intermediaries were effective because their embeddedness in communities subjected them to monitoring and sanctioning, thereby assuring their fellow residents that they were accountable and thus credible.

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Crossref · 10.1177/0010414019897698

Cites

73 of 73 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • Correlational evidence from Liberia suggests that explicit government efforts to reach out to the population, like door-to-door canvassing, are associated with compliance with crisis management policies like bans on gatherings.

    “Correlational evidence from Liberia also suggests that explicit government efforts to reach out to the population, like door-to-door canvassing, are associated with compliance with crisis management policies like bans on gatherings 194 .”

    From Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response (2020) · cites this paper as [194]

  • Research from the West Africa Ebola crisis of 2014-2015 suggests that enlisting local voices to help build engagement and trust in health officials can increase the success of public health measures.

    “Research from the West Africa Ebola crisis of 2014-2015 suggests that enlisting local voices to help build engagement and trust in health officials can increase the success of such public health measures.”

    From Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response (2020) · cites this paper as [194]

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Authors
Tsai, L. L., Morse, B. S., & Blair, R. A.
Affiliations
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
  • Brown University (US)
Corresponding author
Tsai, Lily L.
ORCID
Venue
Comparative Political Studies
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2020-01-20
Volume
53
Issue
10-11
Pages
1582-1618
ISSN
  • 0010-4140 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-3829
DOI
10.1177/0010414019897698
OpenAlex
W3002389368
Cited by
74
References
74
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 14 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 6
FWCI
15.35
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
Comparative Political Studies (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • international growth centre
  • Omidyar Network
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Political Conflict and Governance
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Social Capital and Networks
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Risk Perception and Management
Keywords
government credibility, persuasion, Ebola epidemic, Liberia, door-to-door canvassing, public health compliance, public trust in government, local intermediaries, monitoring and sanctioning

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