What do the Voters Reward: Personality, Party or Performance?

Gupta, Poonam (2013): What do the Voters Reward: Personality, Party or Performance?

Abstract

Election results are generally hard to predict, and India is no exception. This paper discusses the factors that are important in explaining the results of the 2009 parliamentary elections in India. Our results show that the voters prefer the candidates who have served in the parliament before, are wealthy and educated, and are affiliated with a large party. Wealth of the candidate is important not only in itself, but also in that it reduces the negative effect of “taint” associated with a candidate facing criminal charges. One important factor however, which dwarfs the effect of all other factors, is the economic performance under the incumbent state governments. Voters forcefully vote in favor of the parties which deliver high growth and reject the ones which do not.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: India, Elections
• Subjects: P - Economic Systems > P4 - Other Economic Systems > P48 - Political Economy ; Legal Institutions ; Property Rights ; Natural Resources ; Energy ; Environment ; Regional Studies

References

Banerjee, Abhijit V. and Rohini Pande, 2009, “Parochial Politics: Ethnic Preferences and Political Corruption.”

Dutta, Bhaskar and Poonam Gupta, 2012. "How Indian Voters Respond to Candidates with Criminal Charges: Evidence from the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections," Economic and Political Weekly.

Gupta, Poonam and Arvind Panagariya, 2011, “Economic reforms and Election Outcomes,” in Bhagwati, Jagdish and Arvind Panagariya, ed., India: Trade, Poverty, Inequality and Democracy, New York: Oxford university Press.

Gupta, Poonam and Arvind Panagariya, 2011, "Growth and Election Outcomes in a Developing Country," forthcoming Economics and Politics.

Gupta, Poonam and Arvind Panagariya, 2011, “Our Parliamentarians: Rich, Educated, Criminal?”: in The Times of India. http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-04-05/edit-page/29380605_1_candidates-formal-education-educational-qualifications

Gupta, Poonam and Arvind Panagariya, 2011, “Crime tainted MPs have little to do with high-level corruption”, in The Economic Times. http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2011-09-21/news/30184646_1_criminal-charges-criminal-offence-corruption

Gupta, Poonam, 2011, For Performers, Incumbency Helps, in Financial Express, April 19, 2011, http://www.financialexpress.com/news/column-for-performers-incumbency-helps/777847