Conferences
July 2024 - Silvaplana Political Economy Workshop, Pontresina, Switzerland
March 2023 - Paris Young Economists Seminar on Digital Economics, Paris, France
IBEO Workshop on Digital Economics, Alghero, Italy
June 2023 - Warsaw Digitization Workshop, Warsaw, Poland
June 2024 - AFREN - Association Francophone de Recherche en Economie Numérique, Rennes, France
April 2025 - EPCS 2025 - European Public Choiche Society - Stockholm School of Economics, Riga, Latvia
Abstract
This study explores how political tensions influence consumer behaviour, using Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation as a case study. By analysing Spotify’s top 200 songs and employing a difference-in-differences approach, I uncover a substantial 20% increase in streams for female artists during the period spanning the Kavanaugh hearings and the US midterm elections (September–November 2018). The findings indicate that intensified media coverage of gender issues during this politically charged time spurred shifts in listening patterns. Robust to seasonal variations and platform-specific factors, these results shed light on political consumerism, revealing how socio-political events can shape consumption in unexpected domains like the music industry. This research underscores the interplay between political events and consumption behaviour, with implications for addressing gender disparities and informing strategies in digital marketplaces.