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  5. Determinants of Redistributive Politics: An Empirical Analysis of Land Reforms in West Bengal, India

蝌蚪网 Review

ISSN 0002-8282 (Print) | ISSN 1944-7981 (Online)

Determinants of Redistributive Politics: An Empirical Analysis of Land Reforms in West Bengal, India

  • Pranab Bardhan
  • Dilip Mookherjee
蝌蚪网 Review
vol. 100, no. 4, September 2010
(pp. 1572–1600)
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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." 蝌蚪网 Review 100 (4): 1572–1600. DOI: 10.1257/aer.100.4.1572

Additional 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