Publication

Previous research on ethnic politics suggests two contrasting effects of ethnic quotas: a “competition” effect—in which various groups whose members are all eligible for quotas compete for benefits—and a “solidarity” effect, in which hostility between various groups eligible for quotas diminishes, perhaps due to in-group dynamics familiar from social psychology. Using an unusual combination of natural and field experiments in the Indian state of Karnataka, this paper investigates the causal impact of quotas for candidates from marginalized castes and tribes on voters’ political attitudes and preferences. While there is some evidence for both competition and solidarity effects, the solidarity effect here appears to be stronger.