Nina McMurry | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) (original) (raw)

Papers by Nina McMurry

Research paper thumbnail of COVID-19 Social Science Panel Study Wave 1

This is Wave 1 of a a 3-wave panel study that studies Americans' attitudes toward COVID-19 re... more This is Wave 1 of a a 3-wave panel study that studies Americans' attitudes toward COVID-19 response, public health surveillance, and new vaccines.

Research paper thumbnail of Replication Data for: Americans' perceptions of privacy and surveillance in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: To study the U.S. public's attitudes toward surveillance measures aimed at curbing... more Objective: To study the U.S. public's attitudes toward surveillance measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, particularly smartphone applications (apps) that supplement traditional contact tracing. Method: We deployed a survey of approximately 2,000 American adults to measure support for14 COVID-19 surveillance measures. Through a conjoint analysis experiment, we assessed attitudes toward contact tracing apps by manipulating five different attributes of a hypothetical app. Results: A smaller percentage of respondents support the government encouraging everyone to download and use contact tracing apps (42%) compared with other surveillance measures such as enforcing temperature checks (62%), expanding traditional contact tracing (57%), carrying out centralized quarantine (49%), deploying electronic device monitoring (44%), or implementing immunity passes (44%). Despite partisan differences on a range of surveillance measures, support for digital contact tracing is indist...

Research paper thumbnail of Better together? Examining the effect of civic education for local officials and citizens in the Philippines on government responsiveness and citizen engagement

Research paper thumbnail of State Recognition of Traditional Authority, Voting Behavior, and Identity: Experimental and Observational Evidence from the Philippines

Research paper thumbnail of Public Perceptions of Privacy and Surveillance in the COVID-19 Pandemic

We investigate U.S. public opinion toward surveillance measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Research paper thumbnail of Politicians’ perspectives on voice and accountability: evidence from a survey of South African local councillors

(MIT). His research is concerned with democratic governance, the causes and consequences of ethni... more (MIT). His research is concerned with democratic governance, the causes and consequences of ethnic conflict, and the determinants of good governance and policy-making, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. He is the author of Race and Regionalism in the Politics of Taxation

Research paper thumbnail of The effect of civic leadership training on citizen engagement and government responsiveness: experimental evidence from the Philippines

is a doctoral candidate in political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) a... more is a doctoral candidate in political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an MIT Governance Lab (MIT GOV/LAB) Graduate Research Fellow. She studies political behaviour and government accountability in developing democracies, with a focus on the role of intermediaries and non-state actors. Her dissertation examines the effects of state recognition of indigenous political institutions on local governance in the Philippines. She has also conducted field research in Guatemala, South Africa and South Sudan. Prior to starting her PhD, Nina worked on civil society and local media development initiatives in South Sudan. She holds a BA in Political Science from Stanford University, USA.

Research paper thumbnail of When Do Strong Parties “Throw the Bums Out”? Competition and Accountability in South African Candidate Nominations

Studies in Comparative International Development, 2021

The Version of Record is the version of the article after copy-editing and typesetting, and conne... more The Version of Record is the version of the article after copy-editing and typesetting, and connected to open research data, open protocols, and open code where available. Any supplementary information can be found on the journal website, connected to the Version of Record.

Research paper thumbnail of Americans’ perceptions of privacy and surveillance in the COVID-19 pandemic

PLOS ONE, 2020

Objective To study the U.S. public’s attitudes toward surveillance measures aimed at curbing the ... more Objective To study the U.S. public’s attitudes toward surveillance measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, particularly smartphone applications (apps) that supplement traditional contact tracing. Method We deployed a survey of approximately 2,000 American adults to measure support for nine COVID-19 surveillance measures. We assessed attitudes toward contact tracing apps by manipulating six different attributes of a hypothetical app through a conjoint analysis experiment. Results A smaller percentage of respondents support the government encouraging everyone to download and use contact tracing apps (42%) compared with other surveillance measures such as enforcing temperature checks (62%), expanding traditional contact tracing (57%), carrying out centralized quarantine (49%), deploying electronic device monitoring (44%), or implementing immunity passes (44%). Despite partisan differences on a range of surveillance measures, support for the government encouraging digital cont...

Research paper thumbnail of Building robust and ethical vaccination verification systems

As countries begin to vaccinate their populations against COVID-19, creating systems to verify va... more As countries begin to vaccinate their populations against COVID-19, creating systems to verify vaccine records will be vital to reopening businesses, educational institutions, and travel. We consider the challenges of building vaccine record verification (VRV) systems that involve data sharing by health care providers, methods for verifying vaccine records, and regulation of how entities (e.g., workplaces, schools, businesses, and airlines) may request proof of vaccination. In particular, we focus on the opportunities and risks associated with digital vaccine passport apps. We propose three ethical principles to guide the building of VRV systems: 1) aligning systems with vaccine prioritization, 2) upholding fairness and equity, and 3) building trustworthy technology that protects the public's health data.

Research paper thumbnail of Do Parties Hold Politicians Accountable (and for What)? Evidence from South African Local Government Elections

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017

In this paper, we examine the extent to which political parties in a strong-party system hold ind... more In this paper, we examine the extent to which political parties in a strong-party system hold individual politicians to account. Specifically, we consider the determinants of incumbent renominations and promotions in the context of South African local government elections. We find strong evidence that parties are very responsive to the subjective views of citizens regarding the quality of services and quality of government more generally, particularly in electorally competitive areas. By contrast, objective" measures of performance, including levels of basic service delivery, do not predict renominations. We discuss how these findings raise important questions for how we think about party responsiveness and accountability in developing country contexts.

Research paper thumbnail of Unsafe Havens: Re-Examining Humanitarian Aid and Peace Duration after Civil Wars

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2016

Does humanitarian aid delivered in the aftermath of civil conflict increase the risk of conflict ... more Does humanitarian aid delivered in the aftermath of civil conflict increase the risk of conflict resumption? And if so, under what conditions? In contrast to previous work that focuses on the terms of civil war resolution, we argue that humanitarian aid is most likely to play a de-stabilizing role when armed groups have access to territorial safe havens, either inside the country where the fighting has taken place or in cross-border refugee camps. We illustrate this argument with the cases of Liberia (1989-1997) and Sudan (1983-2005), and then test the theory using a panel dataset of civil war ceasefires between 1989 and 2004. Our results support the argument that the effect of humanitarian aid on ceasefire stability is conditional on the ability of rebel organizations to control territory and access cross-border refugee populations.

Research paper thumbnail of From Recognition to Integration: Indigenous Autonomy, State Authority, and National Identity in the Philippines

American Political Science Review, 2021

How does the recognition of collective self-governance rights for indigenous communities affect n... more How does the recognition of collective self-governance rights for indigenous communities affect national unity and state consolidation? In recent decades, many states have recognized such rights, devolving de jure control over land and local governance to indigenous institutions. Prominent perspectives in the state-building literature suggest that these policies are likely to threaten state consolidation by strengthening nonstate authorities at the expense of state authority and subnational identities at the expense of a national identity. Yet few studies have tested whether these policies have the consequences their critics claim. I address this gap, leveraging spatial and temporal variation in the granting of communal land titles to indigenous communities in the Philippines. Using difference-in-differences and panel designs, I find that titling increases both indigenous self-identification and compliance with the state. Results from an original survey experiment suggest that recog...

Research paper thumbnail of The effect of civic leadership training on government responsiveness and citizen engagement: Experimental evidence from the Philippines

Research paper thumbnail of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in low- and middle-income countries

Nature Medicine

Widespread acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial for achieving sufficient immunization cover... more Widespread acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial for achieving sufficient immunization coverage to end the global pandemic, yet few studies have investigated COVID-19 vaccination attitudes in lower-income countries, where large-scale vaccination is just beginning. We analyze COVID-19 vaccine acceptance across 15 survey samples covering 10 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Asia, Africa and South America, Russia (an upper-middle-income country) and the United States, including a total of 44,260 individuals. We find considerably higher willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine in our LMIC samples (mean 80.3%; median 78%; range 30.1 percentage points) compared with the United States (mean 64.6%) and Russia (mean 30.4%). Vaccine acceptance in LMICs is primarily explained by an interest in personal protection against COVID-19, while concern about side effects is the most common reason for hesitancy. Health workers are the most trusted sources of guidance about COVID-19 vaccine...

Research paper thumbnail of COVID-19 Social Science Panel Study Wave 1

This is Wave 1 of a a 3-wave panel study that studies Americans' attitudes toward COVID-19 re... more This is Wave 1 of a a 3-wave panel study that studies Americans' attitudes toward COVID-19 response, public health surveillance, and new vaccines.

Research paper thumbnail of Replication Data for: Americans' perceptions of privacy and surveillance in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: To study the U.S. public's attitudes toward surveillance measures aimed at curbing... more Objective: To study the U.S. public's attitudes toward surveillance measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, particularly smartphone applications (apps) that supplement traditional contact tracing. Method: We deployed a survey of approximately 2,000 American adults to measure support for14 COVID-19 surveillance measures. Through a conjoint analysis experiment, we assessed attitudes toward contact tracing apps by manipulating five different attributes of a hypothetical app. Results: A smaller percentage of respondents support the government encouraging everyone to download and use contact tracing apps (42%) compared with other surveillance measures such as enforcing temperature checks (62%), expanding traditional contact tracing (57%), carrying out centralized quarantine (49%), deploying electronic device monitoring (44%), or implementing immunity passes (44%). Despite partisan differences on a range of surveillance measures, support for digital contact tracing is indist...

Research paper thumbnail of Better together? Examining the effect of civic education for local officials and citizens in the Philippines on government responsiveness and citizen engagement

Research paper thumbnail of State Recognition of Traditional Authority, Voting Behavior, and Identity: Experimental and Observational Evidence from the Philippines

Research paper thumbnail of Public Perceptions of Privacy and Surveillance in the COVID-19 Pandemic

We investigate U.S. public opinion toward surveillance measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Research paper thumbnail of Politicians’ perspectives on voice and accountability: evidence from a survey of South African local councillors

(MIT). His research is concerned with democratic governance, the causes and consequences of ethni... more (MIT). His research is concerned with democratic governance, the causes and consequences of ethnic conflict, and the determinants of good governance and policy-making, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. He is the author of Race and Regionalism in the Politics of Taxation

Research paper thumbnail of The effect of civic leadership training on citizen engagement and government responsiveness: experimental evidence from the Philippines

is a doctoral candidate in political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) a... more is a doctoral candidate in political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and an MIT Governance Lab (MIT GOV/LAB) Graduate Research Fellow. She studies political behaviour and government accountability in developing democracies, with a focus on the role of intermediaries and non-state actors. Her dissertation examines the effects of state recognition of indigenous political institutions on local governance in the Philippines. She has also conducted field research in Guatemala, South Africa and South Sudan. Prior to starting her PhD, Nina worked on civil society and local media development initiatives in South Sudan. She holds a BA in Political Science from Stanford University, USA.

Research paper thumbnail of When Do Strong Parties “Throw the Bums Out”? Competition and Accountability in South African Candidate Nominations

Studies in Comparative International Development, 2021

The Version of Record is the version of the article after copy-editing and typesetting, and conne... more The Version of Record is the version of the article after copy-editing and typesetting, and connected to open research data, open protocols, and open code where available. Any supplementary information can be found on the journal website, connected to the Version of Record.

Research paper thumbnail of Americans’ perceptions of privacy and surveillance in the COVID-19 pandemic

PLOS ONE, 2020

Objective To study the U.S. public’s attitudes toward surveillance measures aimed at curbing the ... more Objective To study the U.S. public’s attitudes toward surveillance measures aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19, particularly smartphone applications (apps) that supplement traditional contact tracing. Method We deployed a survey of approximately 2,000 American adults to measure support for nine COVID-19 surveillance measures. We assessed attitudes toward contact tracing apps by manipulating six different attributes of a hypothetical app through a conjoint analysis experiment. Results A smaller percentage of respondents support the government encouraging everyone to download and use contact tracing apps (42%) compared with other surveillance measures such as enforcing temperature checks (62%), expanding traditional contact tracing (57%), carrying out centralized quarantine (49%), deploying electronic device monitoring (44%), or implementing immunity passes (44%). Despite partisan differences on a range of surveillance measures, support for the government encouraging digital cont...

Research paper thumbnail of Building robust and ethical vaccination verification systems

As countries begin to vaccinate their populations against COVID-19, creating systems to verify va... more As countries begin to vaccinate their populations against COVID-19, creating systems to verify vaccine records will be vital to reopening businesses, educational institutions, and travel. We consider the challenges of building vaccine record verification (VRV) systems that involve data sharing by health care providers, methods for verifying vaccine records, and regulation of how entities (e.g., workplaces, schools, businesses, and airlines) may request proof of vaccination. In particular, we focus on the opportunities and risks associated with digital vaccine passport apps. We propose three ethical principles to guide the building of VRV systems: 1) aligning systems with vaccine prioritization, 2) upholding fairness and equity, and 3) building trustworthy technology that protects the public's health data.

Research paper thumbnail of Do Parties Hold Politicians Accountable (and for What)? Evidence from South African Local Government Elections

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2017

In this paper, we examine the extent to which political parties in a strong-party system hold ind... more In this paper, we examine the extent to which political parties in a strong-party system hold individual politicians to account. Specifically, we consider the determinants of incumbent renominations and promotions in the context of South African local government elections. We find strong evidence that parties are very responsive to the subjective views of citizens regarding the quality of services and quality of government more generally, particularly in electorally competitive areas. By contrast, objective" measures of performance, including levels of basic service delivery, do not predict renominations. We discuss how these findings raise important questions for how we think about party responsiveness and accountability in developing country contexts.

Research paper thumbnail of Unsafe Havens: Re-Examining Humanitarian Aid and Peace Duration after Civil Wars

SSRN Electronic Journal, 2016

Does humanitarian aid delivered in the aftermath of civil conflict increase the risk of conflict ... more Does humanitarian aid delivered in the aftermath of civil conflict increase the risk of conflict resumption? And if so, under what conditions? In contrast to previous work that focuses on the terms of civil war resolution, we argue that humanitarian aid is most likely to play a de-stabilizing role when armed groups have access to territorial safe havens, either inside the country where the fighting has taken place or in cross-border refugee camps. We illustrate this argument with the cases of Liberia (1989-1997) and Sudan (1983-2005), and then test the theory using a panel dataset of civil war ceasefires between 1989 and 2004. Our results support the argument that the effect of humanitarian aid on ceasefire stability is conditional on the ability of rebel organizations to control territory and access cross-border refugee populations.

Research paper thumbnail of From Recognition to Integration: Indigenous Autonomy, State Authority, and National Identity in the Philippines

American Political Science Review, 2021

How does the recognition of collective self-governance rights for indigenous communities affect n... more How does the recognition of collective self-governance rights for indigenous communities affect national unity and state consolidation? In recent decades, many states have recognized such rights, devolving de jure control over land and local governance to indigenous institutions. Prominent perspectives in the state-building literature suggest that these policies are likely to threaten state consolidation by strengthening nonstate authorities at the expense of state authority and subnational identities at the expense of a national identity. Yet few studies have tested whether these policies have the consequences their critics claim. I address this gap, leveraging spatial and temporal variation in the granting of communal land titles to indigenous communities in the Philippines. Using difference-in-differences and panel designs, I find that titling increases both indigenous self-identification and compliance with the state. Results from an original survey experiment suggest that recog...

Research paper thumbnail of The effect of civic leadership training on government responsiveness and citizen engagement: Experimental evidence from the Philippines

Research paper thumbnail of COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy in low- and middle-income countries

Nature Medicine

Widespread acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial for achieving sufficient immunization cover... more Widespread acceptance of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial for achieving sufficient immunization coverage to end the global pandemic, yet few studies have investigated COVID-19 vaccination attitudes in lower-income countries, where large-scale vaccination is just beginning. We analyze COVID-19 vaccine acceptance across 15 survey samples covering 10 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in Asia, Africa and South America, Russia (an upper-middle-income country) and the United States, including a total of 44,260 individuals. We find considerably higher willingness to take a COVID-19 vaccine in our LMIC samples (mean 80.3%; median 78%; range 30.1 percentage points) compared with the United States (mean 64.6%) and Russia (mean 30.4%). Vaccine acceptance in LMICs is primarily explained by an interest in personal protection against COVID-19, while concern about side effects is the most common reason for hesitancy. Health workers are the most trusted sources of guidance about COVID-19 vaccine...