Quarterly Journal of Political Science > Vol 11 > Issue 3

Do Parties Matter for Ethnic Violence? Evidence From India

Gareth Nellis, Yale University, USA, gareth.nellis@yale.edu , Michael Weaver, Yale University, USA, michael.weaver@yale.edu , Steven C. Rosenzweig, Yale University, USA, steven.rosenzweig@yale.edu
 
Suggested Citation
Gareth Nellis, Michael Weaver and Steven C. Rosenzweig (2016), "Do Parties Matter for Ethnic Violence? Evidence From India", Quarterly Journal of Political Science: Vol. 11: No. 3, pp 249-277. http://dx.doi.org/10.1561/100.00015051

Publication Date: 31 Oct 2016
© 2016 G. Nellis, M. Weaver and S. C. Rosenzweig
 
Subjects
Econometric models: Identification,  Elections: Electoral behavior,  Elections: Voting behavior,  Civil conflict,  Comparative politics,  Democratization,  Political parties,  Religion and politics
 
Keywords
Political partiesethnic violencedemocratic consolidationnatural experiment
 

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In this article:
1. Hindu–Muslim Violence and the Congress Party 
2. Data and Identification Strategy 
3. Results 
4. Qualitative Evidence 
5. Conclusion 
References 

Abstract

Ethnic group conflict is among the most serious threats facing young democracies. In this paper, we investigate whether the partisanship of incumbent politicians affects the incidence and severity of local ethnic violence. Using a novel application of the regression-discontinuity design, we show that as-if random victory by candidates representing India's Congress party in close state assembly elections between 1962 and 2000 reduced Hindu–Muslim rioting. The effects are large. Simulations reveal that had Congress lost all close elections in this period, India would have experienced 11 percent more riots. Additional analyses suggest that Congress candidates' dependence on local Muslim votes, as well as apprehensions about religious polarization of the electorate in the event of riots breaking out, are what drive the observed effect. Our findings shed new light on parties' connection to ethnic conflict, the relevance of partisanship in developing states, and the puzzle of democratic consolidation in ethnically divided societies.

DOI:10.1561/100.00015051