RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Teachers, Electoral Cycles, and Learning in India
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 699
OP 732
DO 10.3368/jhr.55.3.0816-8100R
VO 55
IS 2
A1 Sonja Fagernäs
A1 Panu Pelkonen
YR 2020
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/55/2/699.abstract
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.