Topic Modelling on the Migrant Route

Research assistance for Olivia Woldemikael’s doctoral dissertation, The Local Consequences of Migration Policies in Latin America, Africa, and North America (Harvard University, 2023). I am acknowledged in the dissertation for research assistance. Read the dissertation

Question. Did local politics change in Colombian municipalities along the route used by Venezuelan migrants?

My contribution. I designed and ran the LDA topic-modelling analysis of mayoral candidates’ platforms, comparing municipalities along the migrant route with control municipalities nearby.

What it showed. Platforms along the route gave more weight to topics about public services and governance, which the dissertation uses as evidence on why perceptions of municipal management shaped political entry.