The Politics of Comportment: Theory and Evidence from India’s Small Towns

• In Event: Electoral Politics, Politicians, and Parties in India

Brief Overview

We show that voters and politicians in India’s small towns value a candidate’s comportment - a reputation for treating constituents with respect and humility, while treating officials with the opposite qualities---brazenness and impatience.

Authors

• Shikhar Singh, Duke University

• Adam Auerbach, American University

• Tariq Thachil, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen