Appropriate Institutions? Traditional Governance and Public Goods Provision in Oaxaca, Mexico
AEA Papers and Proceedings
vol. 111,
May 2021
(pp. 243-47)
Abstract
What are the consequences of the adoption of traditional governance institutions among indigenous groups for local government affairs? We study the 1995 Usos y Costumbres traditional governance reform in the state of Oaxaca, which legitimized these structures in a subset of its municipalities. We show that the degree of ethnolinguistic polarization between residents of outlying communities and residents of municipal capitals is an important barrier to the former's political representation in local elections. In terms of public goods provision, villages of ethnic minorities are less likely to gain electric service but more likely to gain sewerage services and public schooling.Citation
Bobonis, Gustavo J., Juan C. Chaparro, Marco Gonzalez-Navarro, and Marta Rubio-Codina. 2021. "Appropriate Institutions? Traditional Governance and Public Goods Provision in Oaxaca, Mexico." AEA Papers and Proceedings, 111: 243-47. DOI: 10.1257/pandp.20211101Additional Materials
JEL Classification
- H41 Public Goods
- O17 Formal and Informal Sectors; Shadow Economy; Institutional Arrangements
- J15 Economics of Minorities, Races, Indigenous Peoples, and Immigrants; Non-labor Discrimination
- R50 Regional Government Analysis: General
- D72 Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Lobbying, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
- H70 State and Local Government; Intergovernmental Relations: General
- O18 Economic Development: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis; Housing; Infrastructure