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Arvind Magesan
Arvind Magesan is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Calgary. Magesan received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Toronto in 2011. His primary research interests are in structural econometrics and political economy.
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Regionalist party representation and tribal insecurity
Observers have long been ambivalent about regionalism as a principle underlying the organisation of politics. Analysing data from India, this article shows that when regionalist parties win elections, there is an increase in local violence, caused by heightened insecurity among local minority groups. This is found to be especially true for electoral constituencies with significant populations of scheduled tribes who have no mandated political representation.
Are independent candidates unimportant for political representation?
Independent candidates are often deemed ‘frivolous’ or ‘spoilers’ by mainstream political figures and authorities, although there is little to no evidence on their effect on elections. This article finds that independent candidates decrease the chances that a Lok Sabha constituency elects a member of the party or coalition that forms the national government. It suggests that participation by independents has a high price – a lesser role for the constituency in policymaking