F. Daniel Hidalgo

F. Daniel Hidalgo

Associate Professor of Political Science

CV

Latin America; political institutions; representation; accountability; clientelism; causal inference; elections.

Biography

F. Daniel Hidalgo is Associate Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his doctorate in Political Science at the University of California at Berkeley and received a BA at Princeton University. Hidalgo is a past recipient of grants from the National Science Foundation, the Fulbright program, and the Experiments in Governance and Politics Network. His research focuses on the political economy of elections, campaigns, and representation in developing democracies, especially in Latin America, as well as quantitative methods in the social sciences. His work has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Politics, Review of Economic and Statistics, World Development, Political Analysis, and the American Journal of Political Science.

Research

Hidalgo's research focuses on political representation and electoral behavior in poor and middle-income democracies, as well as applied quantitative methods in the social sciences. His current substantive research interests include how informal institutions shape electoral politics, authoritarian politics, and the politics of housing. Hidalgo's methodological interests focus on the statistics of causal inference and the application of machine learning techniques to new forms of political data, such as images and text.

Recent Publications

Miguel F.P. de Figueiredo, F. Daniel Hidalgo, and Yuri Kasahara. “When Do Voters Punish Corrupt Politicians? Experimental Evidence from a Field and Survey Experiment”. In: British Journal of Political Science 53.2 (2023), p. 728–739. DOI: 10.1017/S0007123421000727. PDF. Replication Archive. Online Appendix.

Taylor C. Boas, F. Daniel Hidalgo, and Guillermo Toral. “Competence versus Priorities: Negative Electoral Responses to Education Quality in Brazil”. In: The Journal of Politics 83.4 (2021), pp. 1417-1431. DOI: 10.1086/715064. PDF. Replication Archive. Online Appendix.

Taylor C. Boas and F. Daniel Hidalgo. “Electoral Incentives to Combat Mosquito-Borne Illnesses: Experimental Evidence from Brazil”. In: World Development 113 (Jan. 01, 2019), pp. 89-99. DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.08.013. PDF. Replication Archive. Online Appendix.

Taylor C. Boas, F. Daniel Hidalgo, and Marcus André Melo. “Horizontal But Not Vertical: Accountability Institutions and Electoral Sanctioning in Northeast Brazil”. In: Information, Accountability, and Cumulative Learning: Lessons from Metaketa I. Ed. by Thad Dunning, Guy Grossman, Macartan Humphreys, Susan Hyde, Craig McIntosh and Gareth Nellis. Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics. Cambridge University Press, 2019, pp. 257-286. DOI: 10.1017/9781108381390.010. PDF.

Teaching

17.806 Quantitative Research Methods IV: Advanced Topics

News

Looking under the surface of politics in Latin America

Peter Dizikes MIT News

Danny Hidalgo’s research involves looking under the surface of elections and political campaigns, and probing some of their questionable elements. It turns out there’s a lot to see down there.

Biography

F. Daniel Hidalgo is Associate Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received his doctorate in Political Science at the University of California at Berkeley and received a BA at Princeton University. Hidalgo is a past recipient of grants from the National Science Foundation, the Fulbright program, and the Experiments in Governance and Politics Network. His research focuses on the political economy of elections, campaigns, and representation in developing democracies, especially in Latin America, as well as quantitative methods in the social sciences. His work has appeared in journals such as the Journal of Politics, Review of Economic and Statistics, World Development, Political Analysis, and the American Journal of Political Science.

Research

Hidalgo's research focuses on political representation and electoral behavior in poor and middle-income democracies, as well as applied quantitative methods in the social sciences. His current substantive research interests include how informal institutions shape electoral politics, authoritarian politics, and the politics of housing. Hidalgo's methodological interests focus on the statistics of causal inference and the application of machine learning techniques to new forms of political data, such as images and text.

Recent Publications

Miguel F.P. de Figueiredo, F. Daniel Hidalgo, and Yuri Kasahara. “When Do Voters Punish Corrupt Politicians? Experimental Evidence from a Field and Survey Experiment”. In: British Journal of Political Science 53.2 (2023), p. 728–739. DOI: 10.1017/S0007123421000727. PDF. Replication Archive. Online Appendix.

Taylor C. Boas, F. Daniel Hidalgo, and Guillermo Toral. “Competence versus Priorities: Negative Electoral Responses to Education Quality in Brazil”. In: The Journal of Politics 83.4 (2021), pp. 1417-1431. DOI: 10.1086/715064. PDF. Replication Archive. Online Appendix.

Taylor C. Boas and F. Daniel Hidalgo. “Electoral Incentives to Combat Mosquito-Borne Illnesses: Experimental Evidence from Brazil”. In: World Development 113 (Jan. 01, 2019), pp. 89-99. DOI: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2018.08.013. PDF. Replication Archive. Online Appendix.

Taylor C. Boas, F. Daniel Hidalgo, and Marcus André Melo. “Horizontal But Not Vertical: Accountability Institutions and Electoral Sanctioning in Northeast Brazil”. In: Information, Accountability, and Cumulative Learning: Lessons from Metaketa I. Ed. by Thad Dunning, Guy Grossman, Macartan Humphreys, Susan Hyde, Craig McIntosh and Gareth Nellis. Cambridge Studies in Comparative Politics. Cambridge University Press, 2019, pp. 257-286. DOI: 10.1017/9781108381390.010. PDF.

Teaching

17.806 Quantitative Research Methods IV: Advanced Topics

News

Looking under the surface of politics in Latin America

Peter Dizikes MIT News

Danny Hidalgo’s research involves looking under the surface of elections and political campaigns, and probing some of their questionable elements. It turns out there’s a lot to see down there.