Determinants of Redistributive Politics: An Empirical Analysis of Land Reforms in West Bengal, India
利用1974-1998年印度西孟加拉邦的村庄面板数据，检验了土地改革实施的政治决定因素，发现左翼联盟控制地方政府与土地改革之间并非单调正相关，而是受机会主义和选举竞争驱动。
We investigate political determinants of land reform implementation in the Indian state of West Bengal. Using a village panel spanning 1974–1998, we do not find evidence supporting the hypothesis that land reforms were positively and monotonically related to control of local governments by a Left Front coalition vis-à-vis the right-centrist Congress party, combined with lack of commitment to policy platforms. Instead, the evidence is consistent with a quasi-Downsian theory stressing the role of opportunism (reelection concerns) and electoral competition.