Clientelism and the Politics of Identity in India

What is it about?

Under what circumstances do democratic elections lead to polarization and social tensions? Using an election campaign in Gujarat (India) as its backdrop, this article relates India’s persistent forms of identity politics to the evolving capacity of trust networks to facilitate clientelistic exchanges. The political exploitation of a social division is likely to be more successful if the social connections that people employ to solve daily problems are structured along this social divide.

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Why is it important?

This article illustrates how ethnic conflict is related to clientelistic politics. While it is regularly observed that politicians play an important role in fomenting tensions and violence, this article identifies the conditions under which democratic political competition is likely to foster conflict. The conclusions provide support for efforts that seek to prevent ethnic conflict by improving access to public services.