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Technological Change and Political Turnover: The Democratizing Effects of the Green Revolution in India.
- Source :
-
American Political Science Review . Nov2018, Vol. 112 Issue 4, p918-938. 21p. - Publication Year :
- 2018
-
Abstract
- Can technological change contribute to political turnover? Influential theories suggest that technological change represents a form of creative destruction that can weaken incumbents and strengthen outsiders, leading to political turnover. This paper investigates a large-scale historical natural experiment: the impact of the green revolution on single-party dominance in India. Drawing on a theoretical framework based on models of contests, this paper argues that high-yielding variety (HYV) crops strengthened the incentives and capacity of a politically excluded group, in this case agricultural producers, to seek greater political representation. Exploiting the timing of the introduction of HYV crops, together with district-level variation in suitability for the new crop technology, instrumental variables analyses show that the green revolution played a pivotal role in the rise of agrarian opposition parties and decline of single-party dominance. The findings support theories linking technological change to political turnover, with important implications for the political economy of democratization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00030554
- Volume :
- 112
- Issue :
- 4
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- American Political Science Review
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 132285952
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1017/S000305541800031X