Propaganda and Politics in Developing Countries: Evidence from India

Religious riots and electoral politics in India

“…Nellis, Weaver and Rosenzweig (2015) find that a victory of the Indian National Congress in close elections for the state assembly between 1962 and 2000 led to a reduction in Hindu-Muslim riots. Blakeslee (2013) shows that the BJP's campaign involving its leaders touring northern India as part of the Babri Masjid agitation led to an increase in the party's vote share in the subsequent national elections in 1991, as well as an increase in the probability of riots.…”

“…These causes are social (Brass, 1997(Brass, , 2003Varshney, 2002), economic (Bohlken and Sergenti, 2010;Mitra andRay, 2014, Field et al, 2008) and political (Wilkinson, 2004;Jha, 2014;Pathania and Tandon, 2011;Blakeslee, 2013;Nellis, Weaver and Rosenzweig, 2015). There are very few studies in the economics of India which examine the political implications of the occurrence of riots.…”

"Unfinished Business": Ethnic Complementarities and the Political Contagion of Peace and Conflict in Gujarat

“…See also Table 1. Eifert, Miguel and Posner, 2010), the United States (Olzak, 1992) and South Asia (Blakeslee, 2013, Wilkinson, 2004, Brass, 1997. Indeed, ethnic heterogeneity and polarization has been associated with reduced public goods provision, lowered growth and increased civil conflict (eg Easterly and Levine, 1997, Alesina and La Ferrara, 2005, Montalvo and Reynal-Querol, 2005.…”

'Unfinished Business': Ethnic Complementarities and the Political Contagion of Conflict and Peace in Gujarat

“…Following the 2002 pogroms, the number of riot incidents recorded in the state have indeed fallen considerably even relative to their pre-2002 levels, despite the fact that elections were on average more, not less, competitive (Figure 1). 3 The incentives for political figures to encourage mobilization on ethnic lines in order to swing close elections has been observed in settings around the world, including Africa (eg Eifert, Miguel and Posner, 2010), the United States (Olzak, 1992) and South Asia (Blakeslee, 2013, Wilkinson, 2004, Brass, 1997. Indeed, ethnic heterogeneity and polarization has been associated with reduced public goods provision, lowered growth and increased civil conflict (eg Easterly and Levine, 1997, Alesina and La Ferrara, 2005, Montalvo and Reynal-Querol, 2005.…”

“…Similarly, Pathania and Tandon (2011) take a sample of riots in India between 1989 and 1995, and find that the killing was more intense where the BJP won in contested national (Lok Sabha) elections between 1989-91. Blakeslee (2013) finds that the BJP was more likely to direct the 'Rath Yatra'-a procession originating in Gujarat aimed at religious mobilization-at marginal constituencies that subsequently experienced greater rioting. Instead, Varshney (2002) describes how towns with 'civic engagement'-the development of organizations and social norms conducive to peace-also reveal a lack of violence.…”