What is it about?
Why do the poor often vote against their interests? This puzzle has been famously studied in wealthy Western democracies. This book shows how similar paradoxes emerge in poor democracies through a study of India. I study how an elite, upper caste party tied to a conservative Hindu ideology won over lower caste voters. I argue this party used its religious partner organizations to provide basic services to poor voters. This allowed the party itself to continue serving elite interests.
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Why is it important?
Adapts the 'what's the matter with Kansas' puzzle to India Provides a study of the rise of religious nationalism in the world's biggest democracy Comparative analysis of religious parties in India, Egypt, Yemen, and Indonesia
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This page is a summary of: Elite Parties, Poor Voters, January 2014, Cambridge University Press,
DOI: 10.1017/cbo9781107707184.
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