Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Ahead of print
    • Archive
    • Supplementary Material
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
    • Request JHR at your library
  • Alerts
  • Free Issue
  • Special Issue
  • Other Publications
    • UWP

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Journal of Human Resources
  • Other Publications
    • UWP
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Journal of Human Resources

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Ahead of print
    • Archive
    • Supplementary Material
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
    • Request JHR at your library
  • Alerts
  • Free Issue
  • Special Issue
  • Follow uwp on Twitter
  • Follow JHR on Bluesky
Research ArticleArticle

Teachers, Electoral Cycles, and Learning in India

Sonja Fagernäs and Panu Pelkonen
Journal of Human Resources, March 2020, 55 (2) 699-732; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.55.3.0816-8100R
Sonja Fagernäs
Sonja Fagernäs is a Senior Lecturer of Economics at University of Sussex. Panu Pelkonen is a Lecturer of Economics at the University of Sussex and a Research Fellow at IZA ().
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Panu Pelkonen
Sonja Fagernäs is a Senior Lecturer of Economics at University of Sussex. Panu Pelkonen is a Lecturer of Economics at the University of Sussex and a Research Fellow at IZA ().
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: [email protected]
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Supplemental
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Teachers are central for learning, but their hiring and management can be influenced by political factors, especially when they are civil servants. Using an administrative school-level panel data set for India, we find significant increases in teacher transfers and moderate increases in hiring after state elections. The timing of these elections is pre-determined and staggered across states. The reorganization of teachers is partly related to political turnover. Pupils’ test scores are also up to 0.15 standard deviations lower in the post-election phase. Following a range of estimations for alternative explanations, we conclude that the reorganization of teachers can disrupt learning.

JEL Classification
  • D73
  • H75
  • I21
  • J24
  • Received August 2016.
  • Accepted June 2018.
View Full Text

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Journal of Human Resources: 55 (2)
Journal of Human Resources
Vol. 55, Issue 2
31 Mar 2020
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Journal of Human Resources.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Teachers, Electoral Cycles, and Learning in India
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Journal of Human Resources
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Journal of Human Resources web site.
Citation Tools
Teachers, Electoral Cycles, and Learning in India
Sonja Fagernäs, Panu Pelkonen
Journal of Human Resources Mar 2020, 55 (2) 699-732; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.55.3.0816-8100R

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Teachers, Electoral Cycles, and Learning in India
Sonja Fagernäs, Panu Pelkonen
Journal of Human Resources Mar 2020, 55 (2) 699-732; DOI: 10.3368/jhr.55.3.0816-8100R
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • I. Introduction
    • II. Data
    • III. Teachers and the Electoral Cycle
    • IV. Bunching of Transfers: Political or Mechanical?
    • V. The Electoral Cycle and Learning
    • VI. Alternative Explanations
    • VII. Conclusions
    • Appendix
    • Footnotes
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Supplemental
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • The Intergenerational Effects of Marital Transfers: Evidence from India
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Do Higher Salaries Yield Better Teachers and Better Student Outcomes?
  • The Consequences of Performance Standards in Need-Based Aid
  • In-State College Enrollment and Later Life Location Decisions
Show more Article

Similar Articles

Keywords

  • D73
  • H75
  • I21
  • J24
UW Press logo

© 2025 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Powered by HighWire