Public goods and ethnic diversity: evidence from deforestation in Indonesia

Alberto Alesina, Caterina Gennaioli and Stefania Lovo

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: This paper shows that the level of deforestation in Indonesia is positively related to the degree of ethnic fractionalization. To identify a causal relation we exploit the exogenous timing of variation in the level of ethnic heterogeneity due to the creation of new jurisdictions. We provide evidence consistent with a lower control of politicians, through electoral punishment, in more ethnically fragmented districts. Our results are consistent with the literature on (under) provision of public goods in ethnically diverse societies.

Keywords: deforestation; ethnic diversity; corruption; Indonesia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D73 L73 O10 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 35 pages
Date: 2019-01
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-dev, nep-res and nep-sea
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

Published in Economica, January, 2019, 86(341), pp. 32-66. ISSN: 0013-0427

Downloads: (external link)
http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/90257/ Open access version. (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: Public Goods and Ethnic Diversity: Evidence from Deforestation in Indonesia (2019)
Working Paper: Public Goods and Ethnic Diversity: Evidence from Deforestation in Indonesia (2016)
Working Paper: Public goods and ethnic diversity: evidence from deforestation in Indonesia (2015)
Working Paper: Public Goods and Ethnic Diversity: Evidence from Deforestation in Indonesia (2014)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:90257

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