Climate Change and Political Participation: Evidence from India
On the 16th of April, Professor Irma Clots-Figueras from the University of Kent will deliver a presentation on her working paper titled “Climate Change and Political Participation: Evidence from India” at the Stockholm School of Economics (SSE), both in person and online via Zoom.
Working Paper: Climate Change and Political Participation: Evidence from India
We study the effects of extreme temperature shocks on political participation using data from Indian elections between 2009 and 2017. Taking advantage of localized, high-frequency data on land surface temperatures, we find that areas with greater cumulative exposure to extreme temperatures experience an increase in voter turnout and a change in the composition of the pool of candidates who stand for election. As a consequence, electoral outcomes are affected. We provide evidence that our results are driven by the negative effect of climate change on agricultural productivity. First, we show that the results are strongest in areas with a larger rural population. Second, we show that there is a non-monotonic relationship between temperatures and turnout which closely mirrors the relationship between temperatures and agricultural productivity. We also find that, following temperature shocks, winning candidates are more likely to have an agricultural background. Finally, we show that politicians with an agricultural background invest more in irrigation, which mitigates the effects of high temperatures, on both agricultural production and on turnout. Our paper provides new evidence about the ways in which political agents in developing countries (including both voters and candidates) may respond to climate change via political channels.
About the Speaker
Irma Clots-Figueras is a Professor of Economics at the University of Kent and a co-director of DeReCK (Development Economics Research Centre at Kent). She was previously at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, and received her PhD from the London School of Economics in 2006. Her research interests include Development Economics, Labor Economics, Migration, Cultural Economics, and Political Economy. In 2019 she was awarded the Sabadell-Herrero Prize for the Best Young Spanish Economist.
Join the Seminar
If you wish to participate in the SITE Seminar at SSE or join online via Zoom, access to the seminar will be granted exclusively through invitation. To express your interest in attending, kindly reach out to site@hhs.se. Please adhere to the following instructions:
- In the subject line, type “SITE Seminar: [INSERT SEMINAR TITLE]”
- Specify your affiliation and field of interest.
- Additionally, indicate your preference for attending either in person or online.
For confirmed participants, a Zoom link will be shared via email prior to the event, along with comprehensive instructions.