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Western TV and Crimes against Foreigners in East Germany

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  • Fieles-Ahmad, Omar

    (Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg)

  • Kvasnicka, Michael

    (Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg)

Abstract

Following reunification, anti-foreigner crimes rose sharply in the former GDR. Using county-level data for the early 1990s, we study if regional access to Western TV, i.e. non-socialist media, prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall had an impact on regional levels of serious anti-foreigner crime (murder and arson) in East Germany. We find that East German counties with no access to Western TV exhibit higher rates of such crimes, as in the ’valley of the clueless’ around Dresden. This crime-attenuating effect of Western TV proves robust in a battery of robustness checks and underscores the importance of media for anti-foreigner attitudes and crimes well before the rise of the internet and social media.

Suggested Citation

  • Fieles-Ahmad, Omar & Kvasnicka, Michael, 2026. "Western TV and Crimes against Foreigners in East Germany," IZA Discussion Papers 18648, IZA Network @ LISER.
    • Handle: RePEc:iza:izadps:dp18648
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    References listed on IDEAS

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