Clients and Constituents

Jennifer Bussell is Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. She studies comparative politics with an emphasis on the political economy of development, democratic representation, and governance outcomes, principally in South Asia and Africa. She is also the author of Corruption and Reform In India: Public Services in the Digital Age.

• List of Tables List of Figures Preface Acknowledgements PART I - The Puzzle of Constituency Service 1) Introduction: Representation, Distribution, and Constituency Service 2) Political Responsiveness in a Patronage Democracy 3) The Provision of Constituency Service PART II - The Sources of Constituency Service 4) Clients or Constituents? A Theory of Assistance in Patronage Democracies 5) Access to Services in a Patronage Democracy: The Case of India 6) Partisan Targeting and Local Distributive Politics 7) Local Blocking and Appeals for Assistance 8) Partisanship, the Personal Vote, and Constituency Service 9) Which Politicians Respond? 10) When is Responsiveness Partisan Bias? Part III - The Significance of Constituency Service 11) Constituency Service in Comparative Perspective 12) Constrained Accountability in Patronage Democracies Bibliography Appendix

Bussell's research provides an intriguing insight into constituency service in patronage democracies with useful nuances for understanding under what conditions politicians will act in a partisan or non-partisan basis. These nuances are supported by arguments carefully constructed around data and evidence. Importantly, the book also opens the door for further research.