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Co-ethnic Voters and Candidate Choice by Political Parties: Evidence from India

Author

Listed:
  • Tushar Bharati

    (Economics Discipline, Business School, University of Western Australia)

Abstract
The paper introduces an asymmetric information candidate choice model to examine the inefficiencies arising from co-ethnic political preferences. Unlike past theoretical literature on the topic, political parties in the model internalize co-ethnic political preferences of voters and act strategically. The model predicts that a party’s choice to field a candidate of an ethnicity type depends on the ethnic composition of the constituency’s voters and the ethnicity of other rival candidates running for office. Data from parliamentary and assembly elections from the states of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in India support the model predictions. Using exogenous changes in information flow proxied by geographical connectedness via all-weather roads, I show that lower information cost or greater connectedness implies a lower level of strategic differentiation of candidates along ethnic lines. Evidence suggests that parties disregard potential candidate’s involvement in crime to be able to differentiate along ethnic lines. As a result, worse candidates get elected to office.

Suggested Citation

  • Tushar Bharati, 2020. "Co-ethnic Voters and Candidate Choice by Political Parties: Evidence from India," Economics Discussion / Working Papers 20-05, The University of Western Australia, Department of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:uwa:wpaper:20-05
    Note: MD5 = b92eaa67097b96ef2e5094c5da7e7bc5
    as

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    File URL: https://ecompapers.biz.uwa.edu.au/paper/PDF%20of%20Discussion%20Papers/2020/DP%2020.05_Bharati.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    elections; ethnic voting; political parties; crime;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • D7 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making

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