Pranab Bardhan - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Pranab Bardhan

The MIT Press eBooks, Jun 16, 2006

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Jun 1, 2011

We investigate political determinants of land reform implementation in the Indian state of West B... more 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. (JEL D72, O13, O17, Q15)

Social Science Research Network, 2014

Princeton University Press eBooks, Dec 31, 2007

Indian economic review, Apr 6, 2023

Yujiro Hayami has been a leader in village studies of institutions and community governance in As... more Yujiro Hayami has been a leader in village studies of institutions and community governance in Asia (Hayami, 1999 and 2001). In the context of community governmence, he has argued elegantly that communities play a central role in making local governments accountable and effectively implementing development programs, such as the distribution of agricultural inputs. One of the means for communities to play an important role in local governance in a democratic country is through voting in local government elections. The interesting question in this context is about the prospect of capture of local governments by rural elites. This chapter is in the Hayami tradition, and focuses on how political competition influences the effectiveness of pro-poor programs carried out by local village governments. Our data are primarily from village surveys in nearly 90 villages in West Bengal, India.

Princeton University Press eBooks, Jul 5, 2018

Globalization and Egalitarian Redistribution, 2020

Development Microeconomics, 1999

Explores the idea that there is joint causation between income and human capital and that this ma... more Explores the idea that there is joint causation between income and human capital and that this may generate a poverty trap. It first looks at empirical results on this two‐way causality, namely, at estimates of the income elasticity of demand for calories and of the effect of education on productivity. It then presents a model of income distribution in an economy with a feedback between income and human capital. The model illustrates how this joint causation, when accompanied by increasing returns in human capital investment and capital market imperfections, may result in persistent income inequality.

Inequality, Cooperation, and Environmental Sustainability, 2007

Development Microeconomics, 1999

Starts with an illustration of the effect of growth on the terms of trade between a rich and a po... more Starts with an illustration of the effect of growth on the terms of trade between a rich and a poor country, using a simple comparative‐static framework. Next, we study the pro‐competitive effects of trade liberalization in inputs with a model in which an import‐substituting upstream industry supplies an intermediate good to the producers of the final good. With imperfect competition and scale economies among upstream firms, the model has multiple equilibria, and trade liberalization may trigger an expansion to the higher output equilibrium. The next section is about the effects of trade on economic development as analyzed in endogenous growth theory, with its focus on learning‐by‐doing, dynamic learning spillovers, and trade‐induced technological patterns in growth. This section includes a model of North–South trade that endogenizes comparative advantage and the direction of technological specialization.

China and India are the economic superstars of the last quarter century, with China in particular... more China and India are the economic superstars of the last quarter century, with China in particular showing remarkable annual economic growth. At the same time, both struggle with entrenched structural problems that could hobble their continued growth. This article compares the two economies and the development indicators of each. Then it looks at deeper social and historical issues as well as ongoing political problems that continue to limit each country.

The MIT Press eBooks, Jun 16, 2006

RePEc: Research Papers in Economics, Jun 1, 2011

We investigate political determinants of land reform implementation in the Indian state of West B... more 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. (JEL D72, O13, O17, Q15)

Social Science Research Network, 2014

Princeton University Press eBooks, Dec 31, 2007

Indian economic review, Apr 6, 2023

Yujiro Hayami has been a leader in village studies of institutions and community governance in As... more Yujiro Hayami has been a leader in village studies of institutions and community governance in Asia (Hayami, 1999 and 2001). In the context of community governmence, he has argued elegantly that communities play a central role in making local governments accountable and effectively implementing development programs, such as the distribution of agricultural inputs. One of the means for communities to play an important role in local governance in a democratic country is through voting in local government elections. The interesting question in this context is about the prospect of capture of local governments by rural elites. This chapter is in the Hayami tradition, and focuses on how political competition influences the effectiveness of pro-poor programs carried out by local village governments. Our data are primarily from village surveys in nearly 90 villages in West Bengal, India.

Princeton University Press eBooks, Jul 5, 2018

Globalization and Egalitarian Redistribution, 2020

Development Microeconomics, 1999

Explores the idea that there is joint causation between income and human capital and that this ma... more Explores the idea that there is joint causation between income and human capital and that this may generate a poverty trap. It first looks at empirical results on this two‐way causality, namely, at estimates of the income elasticity of demand for calories and of the effect of education on productivity. It then presents a model of income distribution in an economy with a feedback between income and human capital. The model illustrates how this joint causation, when accompanied by increasing returns in human capital investment and capital market imperfections, may result in persistent income inequality.

Inequality, Cooperation, and Environmental Sustainability, 2007

Development Microeconomics, 1999

Starts with an illustration of the effect of growth on the terms of trade between a rich and a po... more Starts with an illustration of the effect of growth on the terms of trade between a rich and a poor country, using a simple comparative‐static framework. Next, we study the pro‐competitive effects of trade liberalization in inputs with a model in which an import‐substituting upstream industry supplies an intermediate good to the producers of the final good. With imperfect competition and scale economies among upstream firms, the model has multiple equilibria, and trade liberalization may trigger an expansion to the higher output equilibrium. The next section is about the effects of trade on economic development as analyzed in endogenous growth theory, with its focus on learning‐by‐doing, dynamic learning spillovers, and trade‐induced technological patterns in growth. This section includes a model of North–South trade that endogenizes comparative advantage and the direction of technological specialization.

China and India are the economic superstars of the last quarter century, with China in particular... more China and India are the economic superstars of the last quarter century, with China in particular showing remarkable annual economic growth. At the same time, both struggle with entrenched structural problems that could hobble their continued growth. This article compares the two economies and the development indicators of each. Then it looks at deeper social and historical issues as well as ongoing political problems that continue to limit each country.