Financial Technology and Voter Preferences

Objetivo

Financial technologies (FinTech) are transforming how citizens access financial services, yet their impact on democracy remains unexplored. As FinTech reshapes employment and wealth distribution, does it also change political preferences and voting behavior? FINVOTE investigates how FinTech adoption, through usage and employment, affects political attitudes across developed economies, addressing a critical gap in understanding technological disruption's democratic consequences. The project employs three approaches: (1) developing a theoretical framework linking FinTech to political preferences via economic displacement; (2) conducting cross-country analysis using Global Findex data to causally identify FinTech's effects on policy support; (3) implementing conjoint experiments across Baltic states testing voter responses to candidates with FinTech backgrounds. The Baltic states offer ideal variation: Estonia leads with 14 unicorns and advanced regulatory frameworks, Lithuania hosts 270+ FinTech companies with progressive licensing, while Latvia has fewer firms and conservative approaches—creating natural variation for studying political responses to technological disruption. The Global Fellowship begins at Singapore Management University—the world's highest FinTech adoption environment, where expertise in causal inference and the Behavioral Sciences lab provide essential training. The return phase at Vilnius University leverages departmental specialization in FinTech regulation for data collection and analysis. A six-month placement at the Lithuanian Central Bank translates findings into policy. FINVOTE delivers timely evidence as democracies confront technological change and declining trust. By revealing whether FinTech strengthens or weakens democratic foundations, the project informs regulatory frameworks balancing innovation with political stability, providing policymakers tools to anticipate democratic risks while harnessing economic benefits.