Study title

This collection contains the survey conducted in Tamil Nadu during the 2016 Assembly elections. The survey was conducted after voting but before the results were announced. The survey was carried out by Cicero. Respondents were asked to evaluate the characteristics of different candidates contesting the election. As part of this grant we carried out two surveys. Part 1 provides details about the survey carried out in Tamil Nadu, which primarily focuses on candidate evaluations. Part 2 provides details about the survey carried out in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh which primarily focuses on public service evaluations (for Part 2, see Related Resources) .

The network intends to compare politics in Indian cities and villages by studying state and local elections, quantitatively as well as qualitatively. It will ask whether voters are moving from identity-related to issue-based motivations - in cities if not in villages - and hypotheses that the changing profile of elected representatives - including MLAs - reflects an ongoing social democratisation process in spite of the development of local dynasties and the resilience of patronage. The network will bring into conversation researchers in different social science disciplines, employing different methodologies to demonstrate the complementarity of survey-based and ethnographic approaches to studying elections.