From Reservation to Transformation: The Socioeconomic Impact of Political Quotas
The role of affirmative action policies in promoting socioeconomic mobility remains a subject of intense global debate, with countries implementing varying strategies to address historical inequalities. This study leverages India’s 2008 delimitation exercise as a natural experiment to assess the impact of political quotas for Scheduled Castes (SCs) on local socio-economic outcomes, focusing specifically on SC outcomes within villages rather than solely village-level metrics. We find that SC reservations substantially increase SC student enrollment, particularly in prestigious schools, and foster entrepreneurial activity, as evidenced by the growth in both the number and size of SC-owned firms. Additionally, quotas facilitate SCs’ entry into higher-status occupations, helping to erode entrenched caste-based occupational barriers. These effects are driven by greater access to formal institutional funding for SC-owned firms and improvements in the quality of politicians elected under the quota system. Improvements at the village level, including infrastructure enhancements and increased economic activity, further support these outcomes. Notably, the observed gains persist even after villages lose reserved status, underscoring the long-term benefits of these policies. Our findings contribute to the global discourse on affirmative action, suggesting that targeted, well-implemented quotas can yield sustained social and economic mobility for marginalised groups. With India’s next delimitation scheduled post-2026, this research provides critical insights for policymakers worldwide seeking effective strategies to address inequality and social stratification.
Ancient Epics in the Television Age: Religious Identity and the Rise of Hindu Nationalism in India, (with Dean Yang, Alessandro Saia, Akhila Kovvuri and Paul Brimble) NBER WP 33417 Under Review
Press: VoxDev, The Hindu
Leader Marches as an Opposition Electoral Strategy, (with Feyaad Allie) Under Review
Press: Hindustan Times
Opposition parties often struggle in elections against populist incumbents. One extraordinary campaign tactic adopted across contexts by opposition parties facing populists is leader marches, where a party head treks across the country, engaging voters directly. This tactic addresses the image, reach, and electability challenges that populists impose. We study its consequences through the Indian National Congress leader’s 150-day Bharat Jodo Yatra. A difference-in-differences design with newly collected election data shows that geographic exposure to the march helped Congress, but only near the route, in proximate elections, and where it was the principal opposition. Interviews and descriptive evidence show the march countered the party’s elite image, overcame a pro-incumbent media environment, and signaled viability. An original survey a year later shows that reported participation correlates with favorable views of Congress. The article reveals that opposition extraordinary campaigning can make electoral inroads against entrenched populists, even if it fails to unseat them.
Technology and the Production of Justice: System-Wide Effects of Indonesia’s E-Court Reform, (with Sultan Mehmood and Alexandra Filimonova) Under Review
Delays in judicial proceedings are a pervasive institutional challenge. We study how technology changes judicial production using Indonesia’s e-court reform, which introduced e-filing, e-payments, and virtual hearings for civil but not criminal cases. Using case-level data linking trial decisions to appeals, we compare civil and criminal cases handled by the same judge in the same court before and after reform. E-courts reduced case duration by about 7 days, or 15 percent, while preserving judicial quality. If anything, appeals and reversals fell, judgments became more concise, and readability and statutory citations were unchanged. The gains extended through the judicial system: case duration in untreated appellate courts fell by about 9 days, or 20 percent. The pattern is consistent with the reform freeing judicial capacity for more complex disputes, highlighting the potential for technology to expand capacity by reorganizing judicial production and relieving system-wide congestion.
Debunking Myths: Ancestral Narratives and Intergroup Cooperation in India, (with Riccardo Ghidoni, Mariapia Mendola, Stefano Piasenti and Alessandro Saia)
Power-sharing, Segregation and Conflict, (with Saumitra Jha, Alessandro Saia, Dominic Rohner and Ekaterina Zhuravskaya)