Regionalism and Tribal Insecurity in India

Sacha Kapoor and Arvind Magesan

Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2025, vol. 73, issue 3, 1325 - 1364

Abstract: We estimate the effect of regionalist party representation on political violence in India. We find that regionalist parties who win power cause local violence but not through increased conflict with the center. Successful regionalists instead favor local ethnic majorities, heightening uncertainty for local minority groups. More specifically, the increased violence is explained by electoral constituencies with significant tribal populations but no mandated political representation for tribes. Regionalist parties further decrease local tribal persons’ reported consumption of television and radio, cultural goods, and wages. Our results imply that local majority representation marginalizes local tribal minorities. They respond in turn with organized political violence.

Date: 2025
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