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Political Selection and the Quality of Government: Evidence from South India
This paper uses household data from India to examine the consequences of a unique experiment in democratization which saw more than two million people elected to run village governments. We examine who is elected to village public o�ce and how they disburse bene_ts once they are there. We have three...
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| Format: | Printed Book |
| Online Access: | http://10.26.1.76/ks/001619.pdf |
| Summary: | This paper uses household data from India to examine the consequences of a unique experiment in democratization which saw more than two million people elected to run village governments. We examine who is elected to village public o�ce and how they disburse bene_ts once they are there. We have three key _ndings. First, the political class is selected on the basis of political connections and economic advantage. Second, politicians bene_t disproportionately from public transfer programs. Third, being educated increases the chances of being selected and reduces the odds that a politician uses political power opportunistically. This suggests that educated citizens make better politicians and are recognized for this. |
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