Electoral Effects of U.S. Soft Power: Evidence from Hollywood Movies in Cold War Italy
Current Version:
This study examines the influence of U.S. movies, often touted as a medium of soft power, on Italian elections during the Cold War. Combining fixed effects models and instrumental variables with a newly built panel dataset, we find that increased exposure to American movies led to electoral gains for the main U.S.-endorsed party, and corresponding losses for the Italian communist party, supported by the Soviet Union. Contemporary surveys capture more favorable opinions toward the U.S., particularly regarding Italy’s preferred geopolitical alignment. The vote shares of other parties are not affected, while relative changes in turnout are small.