The Politics of Dignity: How Status Inequality shaped Redistributive Politics in India

48 Pages Posted: 22 Nov 2021 Last revised: 7 Aug 2023

See all articles by Poulomi Chakrabarti

Poulomi Chakrabarti

Harvard University; Queen's University

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: September 2, 2021

Abstract

How does social hierarchy affect redistribution? While mainstream theories of welfare are premised on the material interests of social classes, I argue that in societies with long histories of ascriptive discrimination, distributive politics in shaped by status inequality. High-status groups are more likely to oppose redistribution to maintain their ascriptive privilege, while low-status groups aim at reducing social hierarchy by prioritizing descriptive representation, which I refer as the politics of dignity. I test this theory through a mixed-methods research design on India. Using original state-level data over five decades, I find a strong negative association between high-status (i.e., upper-caste) political elites and redistributive spending. Elites from politically mobilized low-status (i.e., lower-caste) groups have instead pursued representation in the state bureaucracy through caste quotas. Rather than just patronage or symbolic politics, I demonstrate that the interaction of descriptive representation in the bureaucracy and legislature is associated with higher redistribution. Qualitative evidence suggests that a representative bureaucracy can weaken elite patronage networks, thereby reducing barriers to redistributive policies.

Keywords: Ethnic Politics; Inequality; Redistribution; Welfare; Status Politics; Development; India

Suggested Citation

Chakrabarti, Poulomi, The Politics of Dignity: How Status Inequality shaped Redistributive Politics in India (September 2, 2021). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3932850 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3932850

Poulomi Chakrabarti (Contact Author)

Harvard University ( email )

61 Kirkland Street
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Queen's University

Kingston
Canada

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
11
Abstract Views
1,168
PlumX Metrics