Monday, March 20, 2017

24 March 2017: Using Technology to Strengthen Democracy

Shamika Ravi
Brookings India

Discussant:
S.Y. Quraishi, former Chief Election Commission, India

Abstract:
Free and fair elections are cornerstones of democracy. In India, electronic voting machines (EVMs) were introduced with the objective of reducing electoral fraud. We exploit the phased roll-out of the EVMs in state assembly elections to study its impact on electoral fraud, democracy, and development. Our main findings are: (i) Introductions of EVMs led to a significant decline in electoral frauds, particularly in politically sensitive states which were subjected to frequent re-polls due to electoral rigging. (ii) It strengthened the weaker and the vulnerable sections of the society (women and the scheduled castes and tribe) who were now more likely to cast their vote. (iii) It made the electoral process more competitive whereby the winning margin and the vote share of the winning party declined. (iv) Using the luminosity data, we find that EVMs led to an increase in the provision of electricity. (v) Lastly, we find evidence that EVMs resulted in significant decline in crimes, such as murder and rape (violence against women). Complete paper can be found here: http://brook.gs/2mF63el. This paper is co-authored with Dr. Sisir Debnath (ISB) and Dr. Mudit Kapoor (ISI).

Organised by:
Brookings India

Date: March 24, 2017
Time: 03:00 P.M.

Venue:
Kamalnayan Bajaj Conference Room,
Brookings India
Second Floor,
6, Dr. Jose P. Rizal Marg,
Chanakyapuri,
New Delhi-110021

Location:


Note:
Please RSVP shamika.ravi@brookingsindia.org to reserve a seat for you.

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