The political economy of government responsiveness: theory and evidence from India

Timothy Besley and Robin Burgess

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

Abstract: The determinants of government responsiveness to its citizens is a key issue in political economy. Here we develop a model based on the solution of political agency problems. Having a more informed an politically active electorate strengthens incentives for governments to be responsive. This suggests that there is a role both for democratic institutions and the mass media in ensuring that the preferences of citizens are reflected in policy. The ideas behind the model are tested on panel data from India. We show that public food distribution and calamity relief expenditure are greater, controlling for shocks, where governments face greater electoral accountability and where newspaper circulation is highest.

Keywords: government responsiveness; mass media; political economy; political agency; political accountability; democracy; social protection; disaster relief; public food distribution (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 H11 H41 I38 O12 P26 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 43 pages
Date: 2000-12
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/2308/ Open access version. (application/pdf)

Related works:
Journal Article: The Political Economy of Government Responsiveness: Theory and Evidence from India (2002)
Working Paper: The Political Economy of Government Responsiveness: Theory and Evidence from India (2001)
Working Paper: The Political Economy of Government Responsiveness: Theory and Evidence from India (2000)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:2308

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