Person: Iyer, Lakshmi
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Iyer
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Lakshmi
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Iyer, Lakshmi
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Publication Religion, Politician Identity and Development Outcomes: Evidence from India(Elsevier, 2014-05-13) Bhalotra, Sonia; Cassan, Guilhem; Clots-Figueras, Irma; Iyer, LakshmiThis paper investigates whether the religious identity of state legislators in India influences development outcomes, both for citizens of their religious group and for the population as a whole. Using an instrumental variables approach derived from a regression discontinuity, we find that increasing the political representation of Muslims improves health and education outcomes in the district from which the legislator is elected. We find no evidence of religious favoritism: Muslim children do not benefit more from Muslim political representation than children from other religious groups.Publication Traveling Agents: Political Change and Bureaucratic Turnover in India(MIT Press - Journals, 2012) Iyer, Lakshmi; Mani, AnandiWe develop a framework to empirically examine how politicians with electoral pressures control bureaucrats with career concerns and the consequent implications for bureaucrats' career investments. Unique microlevel data on Indian bureaucrats support our key predictions. Politicians use frequent reassignments (transfers) across posts of varying importance to control bureaucrats. High-skilled bureaucrats face less frequent political transfers and lower variability in the importance of their posts. We find evidence of two alternative paths to career success: officers of higher initial ability are more likely to invest in skill, but caste affinity to the politician's party base also helps secure important positions.Publication Direct versus Indirect Colonial Rule in India: Long-Term Consequences(MIT Press - Journals, 2010) Iyer, LakshmiThis paper compares economic outcomes across areas in India that were under direct British colonial rule with areas that were under indirect colonial rule. Controlling for selective annexation using a specific policy rule, I find that areas that experienced direct rule have significantly lower levels of access to schools, health centers, and roads in the postcolonial period. I find evidence that the quality of governance in the colonial period has a significant and persistent effect on postcolonial outcomes.