The Politics of Social Welfare

The BJP and the Discerning Voter

Bibliographic Data

ID6170722
AuthorsK K Kailash (0000-0002-9619-3438, University of Hyderabad, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume12
Issue2
Pages228-250
Publication date2024-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueStudies in Indian Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2321-0230 • E-ISSN: 2321-7472
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/23210230241291220
OpenAlexW4405023539
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited30

Voting studies tell us that voters reward incumbents who take care of the economic self-interest of voters. However, is the relationship between services and votes simple and straightforward? Are there conditions when welfare provisioning does not convert into votes for the incumbent? Data from the National Election Studies 2024 appears to suggest that voters are discerning and concerned about access issues when it comes to welfare delivery. Voters do not cast their votes only on whether they received private (welfare) benefits but also consider factors such as their experience and well-being while accessing those goods and services. Examining the relationship between welfare services and voting, the article demonstrates that individual-level processes are politically significant enough to influence vote choices between the benefits and the votes. These findings could inform scholarly studies and policy debates on social service delivery and vote choice

Business · Economics · Market economy · National election · Political science · Politics · Provisioning · Public economics · Service (business · Social Welfare · Voting · Welfare · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Labor Movements and Unions · Law · Social Policy and Reform Studies

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