Does centralization of online content regulation affect political hate speech in a country? A public choice perspective

Abstract

This study primarily examines how the centralization of online content regulation increases political hate speech in a country. It also explores the roles of the government’s social media surveillance and disinformation in this relationship. Calhoun’s public choice theory is used as a theoretical foundation to examine relationships. Data from 179 nations are analyzed using a mixed-method approach (i.e., path analysis and fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis), and the findings reveal how centralization of online content regulation results in higher levels of political hate speech by increasing social media surveillance of political content and disinformation through social media by the government.