UC Berkeley

How do welfare programs shape the economic and political behavior of recipients? This dissertation is a series of three empirical articles that examine the effects of two programs in India. The first paper finds that a subsidized housing program increases the educational attainment and employment prospects of beneficiaries' children. The second finds that this same program increases everyday local level political participation to improve public goods and services. The third paper finds that a national rural employment guarantee decreases participation in state-level elections among the target beneficiary group. Overall, the dissertation finds that welfare programs can alter beneficiaries' economic and political behavior in important and unexpected ways, thereby providing a vast open agenda for future research.