PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Sonja Fagernäs AU - Panu Pelkonen TI - Teachers, Electoral Cycles, and Learning in India AID - 10.3368/jhr.55.3.0816-8100R DP - 2020 Mar 31 TA - Journal of Human Resources PG - 699--732 VI - 55 IP - 2 4099 - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/55/2/699.short 4100 - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/55/2/699.full SO - J Hum Resour2020 Mar 31; 55 AB - 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.