Are There Spillovers in the Representation of Excluded Groups?

• In Event: Elections, Representation, and Accountability in India

Abstract

How do groups traditionally excluded from access to political power gain political representation? Research suggests that demonstration effects are important: when one member of an excluded group is elected, it demonstrates to party elites, voters, and potential candidates that members of this group are electable – paving the way for their greater entry into politics. An observable implication of these theories is that there should be temporal and spatial spillovers in the representation of excluded groups. We empirically test this implication in the context of national and state elections in India, looking at groups who are traditionally excluded from political representation based on their gender, caste, or religion. We utilize a close-elections regression discontinuity design, comparing constituencies barely won or lost by a candidate from an excluded group to investigate whether the quasi-random election of an MP from such a background improves the chances of electing politicians from the same excluded group in subsequent elections, in nearby constituencies, and in lower-level elections. The findings shed light on how excluded groups gain access to political power.

Authors

• Amreeta Priyadarshini Das, University of California, Merced

• Aditya Dasgupta, University of California, Merced