The aim of this study was to clarify how political mobilisation affects voter turnout in postconflict societies by analysing survey data collected in Iraq. Voter turnout had been high in post-war Iraq but declined by 20 percentage points between the elections of 2014 and 2018. This decline has been attributed to widespread political distrust resulting from corruption among political elites, their embezzlement of public funds, their neglect of the people, and the breakdown of social services after the intensive operation against the so-called Islamic State. Political mobilisation during electoral campaigns usually increases turnout among registered voters. However, it is unclear what effect widespread political distrust in a post-conflict society has on voter turnout. Therefore, we conducted a survey experiment during the 2018 electoral campaign to investigate the effects of political mobilisation on voters in Iraq. The results of the quantitative analysis indicate that voters were more likely to refrain from voting when they were subjected to mobilisation efforts by political parties during the campaign. Thus, political mobilisation might actually decrease voter turnout when political distrust is widespread.

The poor in developing countries must sometimes resort to informal activities that are not allowed by authorities because they have no other choice. This paper examines why the poor in Metro Manila have adopted anti-informality as a social norm since the mid-2010s, despite understanding one another’s predicament. This paper explores this question by considering a case of electricity theft in a slum area, focusing on the viewpoints of those who steal electricity compared with those who do not. While slum residents used to disapprove of electricity theft because it posed a fire risk, they nevertheless justified it on the grounds that the initial cost of obtaining a formal electricity contract was too high. However, the residents have recently stopped tolerating electricity theft because of two recent developments. First, some residents have become unable to steal electricity due to technical measures against electricity theft and have come to criticize those who continue to steal and pay less money for electricity because they view it as unfair. Second, the residents have come to think that changes in government policies under the Duterte administration may reduce the initial cost of obtaining a formal electricity contract, making it difficult for electricity thieves to justify their actions.