Determinants of Redistributive Politics: An Empirical Analysis of Land Reforms in West Bengal, India
Pranab Bardhan, Dilip Mookherjee
American Economic Review · 2010 · Volume 100 · Issue 4
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)
Keywords
Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior, Economic Development: Agriculture, Natural Resources, Energy, Environment, Other Primary Products, Formal and Informal Sectors, Shadow Economy, Institutional Arrangements, Land Ownership and Tenure, Land Reform, Land Use, Irrigation, Agriculture and Environment
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