TY - JOUR T1 - Teachers, Electoral Cycles, and Learning in India JF - Journal of Human Resources JO - J Hum Resour SP - 699 LP - 732 DO - 10.3368/jhr.55.3.0816-8100R VL - 55 IS - 2 AU - Sonja Fagernäs AU - Panu Pelkonen Y1 - 2020/03/31 UR - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/55/2/699.abstract N2 - 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. ER -