Segregation, Ethnic Favoritism, and the Strategic Targeting of Local Public Goods
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6245652 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Simon Ejdemyr (0000-0001-5106-7246, Stanford University, CA, USA), Eric Kramon (0000-0001-8299-4018, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA), Amanda Lea Robinson (0000-0002-8315-7753, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2018 |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue | 9 |
| Pages | 1111-1143 |
| Publication date | 2018-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Comparative Political Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0010-4140 • E-ISSN: 1552-3829 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0010414017730079 |
| OpenAlex | W2757578814 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 79 |
| References cited | 68 |
This article demonstrates that ethnic segregation is a key determinant of local public goods provision. We argue that this results from politicians’ strategic engagement in ethnic favoritism: Only when ethnic groups are sufficiently segregated can elites efficiently target coethnics with local public goods. We test this expectation with fine-grained data from Malawi on the spatial distribution of ethnic groups, geolocated distributive goods (water wells), and the ethnic identities of political elites. We find that members of parliament provide more local public goods to their electoral districts when ethnic groups are geographically segregated but that this increased investment is primarily targeted toward coethnics. Thus, while segregation promotes overall public goods provision, it also leads to greater favoritism in the distribution of these goods. Our logic and evidence provide an elite-driven explanation for both the considerable variation in ethnic favoritism across contexts and the underprovision of public goods in ethnically diverse settings
Demographic economics · Distribution (mathematics · Economics · Elite · Ethnic group · Microeconomics · Parliament · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public good · Culture, Economy, and Development Studies · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Local Government Finance and Decentralization
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| Unique citing works | 79 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 7,9 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2026 (11) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 79 |