PDRI-DevLab is hosting a Fall 2023 Seminar Series featuring its staff and affiliates.

Topic: Port-Au-Prince Calling: Social Network Response to Social Unrest using Mobile Phone Metadata in Haiti

Presenter: Daniel Putman

Session Details:

Which connections do people value most in times of crisis? We examine a period of social unrest in Haiti to understand how social networks respond to social unrest. We construct communication networks using mobile phone metadata from a major mobile network operator in Haiti and a detailed geo-referenced timeline of severe unrest. Estimating treatment effects using a difference-in-differences estimator robust to variation in treatment timing with heterogeneous treatment effects, we find that daily contacts decrease but total talk time remains constant. However, the number of daily contacts with network neighbors who are strong ties and have low degree does not fall during the period of social unrest, in contrast to other subgroups. This finding suggests a pattern of checking in on trusted friends, family or other associates in lieu of broader information search.

Daniel will present his work during the seminar, followed by a Q&A. Participants are not required to read a paper beforehand.

For more information, reach out to pdri-devlab@sas.upenn.edu