Elections and Rural Road Construction: Evidence from India

Ahana Basistha, Amrita Dhillon and Arka Roy Chaudhuri

Economic Development and Cultural Change, 2026, vol. 74, issue 3, 817 - 846

Abstract: This paper analyzes the existence of electoral cycles in infrastructure provision in the context of a large rural road-building program in India. We use data covering 150,000 roads over a decade to demonstrate an increase in road-building activity before state elections. While these electoral cycles in rural road-building do not translate into efficiency losses in terms of quality, cost, or delay, we find evidence of some distortions in the composition of roads that are built just before elections. In line with our model’s predictions, we also find that electoral constituencies with a larger share of uninformed voters display larger electoral cycles.

Date: 2026
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