%0 Journal Article %A Sonja Fagernäs %A Panu Pelkonen %T Teachers, Electoral Cycles, and Learning in India %D 2020 %R 10.3368/jhr.55.3.0816-8100R %J Journal of Human Resources %P 699-732 %V 55 %N 2 %X 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. %U https://jhr.uwpress.org/content/wpjhr/55/2/699.full.pdf