[lbo-talk] Kerala and Cuba

[Brad DeLong]

>Michael McIntyre:
>
>>  There's some debate about why Kerala has such better HDI indicators than
>>  the rest of India, but a review of the historical trends makes it clear
>>  that the divergence didn't begin until the early 1970s, the same time
>>  that Communist (or, more precisely, "Left Front") governments began to
>>  win roughly every other state election.  So, periodic rule by the Left
>>  in Kerala seems to be, if not a sufficient condition, at least a
>>  necessary condition of the progress that has been made.
>
>The CPs have ruled Kerala (pop.40 mn.) intermittently. (The elections in
>Kerala are closely fought affairs between CPs and the Congress party. 2%
>swing in votes is enough to decide the results.) But CPs have ruled West
>Bengal (pop. 80 mn.) continuosly for 25 years (1977-2002).West Bengal does
>not have the same HDI indicators. e.g. Literacy in West bengal is 65-70%.
>
>Ulhas

I could be wrong, but I thought the Kerala Communist Party was still 
strongly ideologically motivated, while the Bengal CP was much more a 
patronage operation?

Dedicated cadres will get you very far at avoiding various kinds of 
patronage and rent-seeking -based government failure for a generation 
or so...

Brad DeLong