The Timing of Elections and Neonatal Mortality
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Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the World Bank
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This paper uncovers evidence of
political cycles in developmental outcomes in the Indian
context. Comparing children born to the same mother, it
shows that children born 0-11 months before scheduled state
legislative assembly elections have a significantly lower
risk of neonatal mortality. The effect of being born just
before elections is higher in politically more competitive
regions. The paper provides some evidence of the channels
behind this result. The usage of prenatal care increases
before elections and mothers of children born before
elections are more likely to have antenatal checkups and
tetanus injections during pregnancy. Components of antenatal
checkups, like the probability of having a blood test or an
abdominal examination during pregnancy, also increase before
elections. The improvement in child health outcomes before
elections seems to be driven by a transfer of resources from
non-election to election years rather than an overall
improvement in child health outcomes.
Palabras clave
NEONATAL MORTALITY, CHILD HEALTH, POLITICAL CYCLES, DEMOCRACY, ELECTIONS