Does Local Elite Capture Vary by Levels of Political Connections? Evidence from an Indian Public Housing Program

Sitakanta Panda ()
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Sitakanta Panda: Indian Institute of Technology Bhilai

The European Journal of Development Research, 2022, vol. 34, issue 4, No 12, 1912-1939

Abstract: Abstract Local political connections form an important channel through which elite capture of public welfare programs takes place. However, the levels of connectedness of households with politicians or political executives and how local power hierarchy wields clout differ in degrees and contexts. This aspect—differences in elite capture by varying levels of local political connections—has been under-studied, if not unexplored. We find households connected to local political executives are more likely to obtain a poverty-alleviating public housing program benefit, namely, the erstwhile Indira Awas Yojana (IAY) scheme, than a non-connected household in rural India. Neither connection to a higher-level elected representative (MP/MLA/Zilla Parishad member) nor connection to a local political party official (who is not in any executive power position) nor some party membership of a family person has a significant effect (than local political connections) on IAY provisioning. Understanding how local power hierarchy or elite connections can influence public program targeting has critical policy implications.

Keywords: Housing; Political connections; Political elite capture; Poverty; India (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D73 H41 I38 O12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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DOI: 10.1057/s41287-021-00447-4

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