Rent-Seeking and Criminal Politicians: Evidence from Mining Booms
Sam Asher () and
Paul Novosad
Additional contact information
Paul Novosad: Dartmouth College
The Review of Economics and Statistics, 2023, vol. 105, issue 1, 20-39
Abstract:
We study how natural resource rents affect the selection and behavior of holders of public office. Using global price shocks to thirty-one minerals and nationwide geological and political data from India, we show that local mineral rent shocks cause the election of politicians charged with serious crimes. We also find a moral hazard effect: politicians commit more crimes and accumulate greater wealth when mineral prices rise during their terms in office. These politicians have direct influence over mining operations but no access to fiscal windfalls from mining; we thus isolate the direct political impacts of mining sector operations.
Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)
Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1162/rest_a_01064
Access to PDF is restricted to subscribers.
Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.
Export reference: BibTeX
RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan)
HTML/Text
Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:tpr:restat:v:105:y:2023:i:1:p:20-39
Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://mitpressjour ... rnal/?issn=0034-6535
Access Statistics for this article
The Review of Economics and Statistics is currently edited by Pierre Azoulay, Olivier Coibion, Will Dobbie, Raymond Fisman, Benjamin R. Handel, Brian A. Jacob, Kareen Rozen, Xiaoxia Shi, Tavneet Suri and Yi Xu
More articles in The Review of Economics and Statistics from MIT Press
Bibliographic data for series maintained by The MIT Press ().