Event Details

This Seminar will be hosted by the Economics Department

Abhishek Chakravarty will present “Is Knowledge Power? Education and Political Candidacy in India”

Abstract: We exploit a nationalschool-building programme across India to examine whether increased access toeducation also increased citizens' entry into electoral politics in subsequentyears. We find that the programme significantly increased educationalattainment among cohorts exposed to the programme during school-going age, withwomen seeing the largest gains. Treated constituencies also see 5-8% increasein the number of contesting candidates in state assembly elections, oncecohorts treated during school age are old enough to vote or run for electionthemselves. However, only the entry of male candidates increases, with nocorresponding increase in the entry of female candidates. Increased access toeducation therefore also widened the gender gap in political candidacy inIndia, where men already constitute over 90% of state assembly candidates.