Elite Parties, Poor Voters: How Social Services Win Votes in India

345 Pages·2014·4.154 MB·English

by  Tariq Thachil

EliteParties,PoorVoters
HowSocialServicesWinVotesinIndia
Why do poor people often vote against their material interests? This
puzzlehasbeenfamouslystudiedwithinwealthyWesterndemocracies,
yetthefactthatthepoor-voterparadoxalsoroutinelymanifestswithin
poor countries has remained unexplored. This book studies how this
paradoxemergedinIndia,theworld’slargestdemocracy.TariqThachil
shows how arguments from studies of wealthy democracies (such as
moralvaluesvoting)andtheglobalsouth(suchaspatronageorethnic
appeals) cannot explain why poor voters in poor countries support
partiesthatrepresentelitepolicyinterests.Heinsteaddrawsonextensive
surveydataandfieldworktodocumentanovelstrategythroughwhich
elitepartiescanrecruitthepoorwhileretainingtherich.Heshowshow
thesepartiescanwinoverdisadvantagedvotersbyprivatelyproviding
themwithbasicsocialservicesviagrassrootsaffiliates.Suchoutsourcing
permitsthepartyitselftocontinuetorepresentthepolicyinterestsofits
privilegedbase.
Tariq Thachil is an assistant professor in the Department of Political
Science at Yale University. Thachil’s doctoral dissertation received the
2010 Gabriel A. Almond Award for best dissertation in the field of
comparative politics from the American Political Science Association
andthe2010SardarPatelAwardforbestdissertationonmodernIndia
in the humanities, education, fine arts, or social sciences from the
University of California, Los Angeles. His articles have appeared in
AmericanPoliticalScienceReview,ComparativePolitics,Contemporary
SouthAsia,andWorldPolitics.
Downloaded from http:/www.cambridge.org/core. New York University Libraries, on 02 Jan 2017 at 15:27:33, subject to the Cambridge Core terms
of use, available at http:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107707184
Formyparents
AniaLoombaandSuvirKaul
forteachingmetolovetheworldofideas
AndformyNana
SatishLoomba
whosememoryinspiresthesepages
Downloaded from http:/www.cambridge.org/core. New York University Libraries, on 02 Jan 2017 at 15:27:33, subject to the Cambridge Core terms
of use, available at http:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107707184
CambridgeStudiesinComparativePolitics
GeneralEditor
margaret levi, UniversityofWashington,Seattle
AssistantGeneralEditors
kathleen thelen, MassachusettsInstituteofTechnology
erik wibbels, DukeUniversity
AssociateEditors
robert h. bates, HarvardUniversity
stephen hanson, TheCollegeofWilliamandMary
torben iversen, HarvardUniversity
stathis kalyvas, YaleUniversity
peter lange, DukeUniversity
helen milner, PrincetonUniversity
frances rosenbluth, YaleUniversity
susan stokes, YaleUniversity
sidney tarrow, CornellUniversity
OtherBooksintheSeries
BenW.Ansell,FromtheBallottotheBlackboard:TheRedistributivePolitical
EconomyofEducation
LeonardoR.Arriola,Multi-EthnicCoalitionsinAfrica:BusinessFinancingof
OppositionElectionCampaigns
DavidAusten-Smith,JeffryA.Frieden,MiriamA.Golden,KarlOveMoene,and
AdamPrzeworski,eds.,SelectedWorksofMichaelWallerstein:ThePolitical
EconomyofInequality,Unions,andSocialDemocracy
AndyBaker,TheMarketandtheMassesinLatinAmerica:PolicyReformand
ConsumptioninLiberalizingEconomies
LisaBaldez,WhyWomenProtest:Women’sMovementsinChile
StefanoBartolini,ThePoliticalMobilizationoftheEuropeanLeft,1860–1980:
TheClassCleavage
RobertBates,WhenThingsFellApart:StateFailureinLate-CenturyAfrica
MarkBeissinger,NationalistMobilizationandtheCollapseoftheSovietState
NancyBermeo,ed.,UnemploymentintheNewEurope
CarlesBoix,DemocracyandRedistribution
CarlesBoix,PoliticalParties,Growth,andEquality:ConservativeandSocial
DemocraticEconomicStrategiesintheWorldEconomy
CatherineBoone,MerchantCapitalandtheRootsofStatePowerinSenegal,
1930–1985
(Continuedaftertheindex)
Downloaded from http:/www.cambridge.org/core. New York University Libraries, on 02 Jan 2017 at 15:27:33, subject to the Cambridge Core terms
of use, available at http:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107707184
Downloaded from http:/www.cambridge.org/core. New York University Libraries, on 02 Jan 2017 at 15:27:33, subject to the Cambridge Core terms
of use, available at http:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107707184
Elite Parties, Poor Voters
How Social Services Win Votes in India
TARIQ THACHIL
YaleUniversity
Downloaded from http:/www.cambridge.org/core. New York University Libraries, on 02 Jan 2017 at 15:27:33, subject to the Cambridge Core terms
of use, available at http:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107707184
32AvenueoftheAmericas,NewYork,ny10013-2473,usa
CambridgeUniversityPressispartoftheUniversityofCambridge.
ItfurtherstheUniversity’smissionbydisseminatingknowledgeinthepursuitof
education,learning,andresearchatthehighestinternationallevelsofexcellence.
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107070080
©TariqThachil2014
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2014
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
AcatalogrecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Thachil,Tariq.
Eliteparties,poorvoters:howSocialServiceswinvotesinIndia/TariqThachil,
YaleUniversity.
pages cm. (Cambridgestudiesincomparativepolitics)
isbn978-1-107-07008-0(hardback)
1. Politicalparticipation–India. 2. Marginality,Social–Politicalaspects–India.
3. Poor–Politicalactivity–India. 4. Socialservice–Politicalaspects–India.
5. Politicalparties–India. I. Title.
jq281.t53 2014
324.954–dc23 2014009763
isbn978-1-107-07008-0Hardback
Additionalresourcesforthispublicationat“http://www.tariqthachil.com”
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyof
urlsforexternalorthird-partyInternetWebsitesreferredtointhispublication
anddoesnotguaranteethatanycontentonsuchWebsitesis,orwillremain,
accurateorappropriate.
Downloaded from http:/www.cambridge.org/core. New York University Libraries, on 02 Jan 2017 at 15:27:33, subject to the Cambridge Core terms
of use, available at http:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107707184
Contents
ListofFigures pageviii
ListofTables x
Acknowledgments xi
1. Introduction 1
2. TheAnatomyofaPuzzle:DissectingtheBJP’sStruggles
withPoorVoters 36
3. WhyRichandPoorVotersSupportanElitePartyinIndia 81
4. WhyanElitePartyTurnedtoServices 104
5. HowServicesWinVotes 142
6. WhenServicesFail 183
7. TheArgumentinComparativePerspective 233
8. Conclusion:TheFutureofServiceasanElectoralStrategy 263
Afterword 281
AppendixA Variables,Sources,andSummaryStatistics 287
AppendixB AdditionalTablesandFigures 295
AppendixC SupplementalSurveyInformation 298
AppendixD InformationinOnlineSupplement 304
References 305
Index 325
vii
Downloaded from http:/www.cambridge.org/core. New York University Libraries, on 02 Jan 2017 at 15:27:33, subject to the Cambridge Core terms
of use, available at http:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107707184
Figures
1.1. MapofBJPperformancewithDalitandAdivasivoters
(2004) page10
1.2. Howrivalstrategiesaffecttheefficacyofservice 29
1.3. Summaryofresearchdesign 34
2.1. ContentanalysisofBJPmanifestosandspeeches(1984–2004) 49
2.2. AverageBJPseatshare(unweighted)withinmajorstate
assemblies(1957–2008) 57
2.3. BJPperformanceandHindu-Muslimriots 63
2.4. Socialprofileofvotersidentifyingapoliticalpartyasrepresenting
theinterestsoftheircastecommunity 78
3.1. Impactofassociationalmembershipvs.supportforHindutva 92
3.2. Impactofassociationalmembershipvs.economicpreferences 94
4.1a. GrowthinVanvasiKalyanAshramprojects,1981–2007 109
4.1b. GrowthinVanvasiKalyanAshramvillagescontacted,
1981–2007 109
4.2a. GrowthinSevaBharatiprojectsacrossIndia(1990–2004) 110
4.2b. GrowthinSevaBharatiprojects(DelhiWing,1979–2005) 110
4.3. DensityofSanghservicenetworksacrossIndia(2004) 126
4.4. BJPperformanceandSanghserviceactivities(2004) 127
4.5. BJPperformanceandSanghnon-serviceactivities(2004) 128
4.6. ServiceandBJPgainsandlosses,1996–2004 129
4.7. Subalternpopulationsizeandservicenetworkdensity 136
4.8. AveragemarginalimpactofmembershipincreaseswhereSangh
servicenetworksaredenser 139
5.1. LocationofVKAactivistsinfieldworksite
(JashpurSub-district,JashpurDistrict,Chhattisgarh) 149
5.2. Whichschoolprovidesthebestqualityofeducation? 154
5.3. ComparingVKAandgovernmentschoolteachers 155
5.4. Surveydistricts(highlighted)inChhattisgarh 165
viii
Downloaded from http:/www.cambridge.org/core. New York University Libraries, on 02 Jan 2017 at 15:27:32, subject to the Cambridge Core terms
of use, available at http:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107707184
ListofFigures ix
5.5. Effectofopinionofserviceorganizationsonvoterpreferences
(non-beneficiariesonly) 175
6.1a. Manifestobestaddressingtheproblemsofyourcommunity 195
6.1b. EvaluationsofCommunistperformanceineducation
(1996–2001) 195
6.2. ExpansionofRSSmembershipinKerala(1942–1987) 209
6.3. BJPandBSPelectoralperformancesinUttarPradesh
(1985–2007) 216
6.4. Surveydistricts(highlighted)inKerala 225
6.5. SurveylocalitiesinAgra 226
8.1. 2009BJPperformanceandSanghserviceactivities 267
Downloaded from http:/www.cambridge.org/core. New York University Libraries, on 02 Jan 2017 at 15:27:32, subject to the Cambridge Core terms
of use, available at http:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107707184
Tables
1.1. Serviceasanelectoralstrategy page16
1.2. Whichpartiesaremostlikelytodivideelectorallabor? 17
2.1. BJPperformanceandsocialservicespending 56
2.2. Non-elitecandidatesintheBJPandBSP 71
3.1. DeterminantsofsupportfortheBJP 90
3.2. Propensitymatchingandsensitivityanalysis 99
3.3. Comparingdeterminantsofsupportformajorparties 101
4.1. MainorganizationsoftheSanghParivar 108
4.2. Caste-wisedemographicmakeupofmajorIndianstates 112
4.3. BJPgainswithDalitsandAdivasis(1996–2004) 125
4.4. Determinantsofstate-levelBJPsupport(1996–2004) 133
5.1. VotingpatternsacrossdistrictsinChhattisgarh 166
5.2. BJPsupportbyrespondenttypeinChhattisgarh 168
5.3. Village-leveldeterminantsofserviceactivities 170
5.4. AssessingtheinfluenceofserviceonvotinginChhattisgarh 173
5.5. MatchinganalysisamongChhattisgarhsurveyrespondents 176
6.1. LiteracyratesinKeralaandIndia(1911–1951) 188
6.2. SocialbasesofpartisansupportinKerala 196
6.3. SanghserviceandBJPsupportinKeralaandUP 227
6.4. BJPsupportbyrespondenttypeinKeralaandUP 227
6.5. AssessingtheinfluenceofserviceonvotinginKeralaandUP 230
7.1. DeterminantsofsupportforIslamicpartysystemin
Yemen(2006) 247
7.2. DeterminantsofsupportforPAN,PKB,andPKSin
Indonesia(2005) 259
7.3. Educationandorganization:InfluenceonPANandPKS
support 260
x
Downloaded from http:/www.cambridge.org/core. New York University Libraries, on 02 Jan 2017 at 15:27:32, subject to the Cambridge Core terms
of use, available at http:/www.cambridge.org/core/terms. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781107707184