The Value of Democracy: Evidence from Road Building in Kenya | Zendy

Robin Burgess | Zendy; Rémi Jedwab | Zendy; Edward Miguel | Zendy; Ameet Morjaria | Zendy; Gerard Padró i Miquel | Zendy

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The Value of Democracy: Evidence from Road Building in Kenya

Author(s) -

Robin Burgess,

Rémi Jedwab,

Edward Miguel,

Ameet Morjaria,

Gerard Padró i Miquel

Publication year - 2015

Publication title -

american economic review

Language(s) - English

Resource type - Journals

SCImago Journal Rank - 16.936

H-Index - 297

eISSN - 1944-7981

pISSN - 0002-8282

DOI - 10.1257/aer.20131031

Subject(s) - ethnic group , kenya , democracy , independence (probability theory) , development economics , value (mathematics) , economics , demographic economics , political science , politics , mathematics , statistics , law

Ethnic favoritism is seen as antithetical to development. This paper provides credible quantification of the extent of ethnic favoritism using data on road building in Kenyan districts across the 1963–2011 period. Guided by a model it then examines whether the transition in and out of democracy under the same president constrains or exacerbates ethnic favoritism. Across the post-independence period, we find strong evidence of ethnic favoritism: districts that share the ethnicity of the president receive twice as much expenditure on roads and have five times the length of paved roads built. This favoritism disappears during periods of democracy

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