American Economic Review
ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)
Determinants of Redistributive Politics: An Empirical Analysis of Land Reforms in West Bengal, India
American Economic Review
vol. 100,
no. 4, September 2010
(pp. 1572–1600)
Abstract
We investigate political determinants of land reform implementation in the Indian state of West Bengal. Using a village panel spanning 1974-1998, we do not find evidence supporting the hypothesis that land reforms were positively and monotonically related to control of local governments by a Left Front coalition vis-à-vis the right-centrist Congress party, combined with lack of commitment to policy platforms. Instead, the evidence is consistent with a quasi-Downsian theory stressing the role of opportunism (reelection concerns) and electoral competition. (JEL D72, O13, O17, Q15)Citation
Bardhan, Pranab, and Dilip Mookherjee. 2010. "Determinants of Redistributive Politics: An Empirical Analysis of Land Reforms in West Bengal, India." American Economic Review, 100 (4): 1572–1600. DOI: 10.1257/aer.100.4.1572Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- D72 Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
- O13 Economic Development: Agriculture; Natural Resources; Energy; Environment; Other Primary Products
- O17 Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
- Q15 Land Ownership and Tenure; Land Reform; Land Use; Irrigation; Agriculture and Environment