Sujoy Upadhyay
Ph.D Candidate
Job Market Candidate, 2025-2026
Economics
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Fields: Applied Econometrics, Political Economy, Development Economics, Public Economics, Applied Macroeconomics
References: Ben Ost, Darren Lubotsky, George Karras, Javaeria Qureshi
Job Market Paper: Does Vertical Political Alignment Impact Local Economic Growth? Night-Lights Evidence from India
Abstract: This paper examines whether vertical political alignment, defined as the scenario in which the national legislator (MP) and the state legislator (MLA) belong to the same political party, improves local economic growth in India. Using Indian election data from 1999 to 2013 and assembly constituency level night lights data as a proxy for economic activity, I implement a regression discontinuity design that exploits close state assembly races to compare constituencies that narrowly achieve alignment with the sitting MP to those that narrowly fail to do so. Across bandwidths, polynomial choices, and control sets, estimated effects on night-lights growth are small and statistically indistinguishable from zero (point estimates range from −0.0046 to 1.02 percentage point). Supplementary analysis using constituency level data on road construction yields comparable null results, with no evidence of increased public goods provision under political alignment. Taken together, the findings indicate that vertical political alignment does not produce measurable gains in local economic activity, challenging the ‘Double Engine’ governance rhetoric that has become increasingly prominent in India’s political discourse.