Economics
Electoral Clientelism and the Political Logic of Welfare Targeting
Quick fact
In many new democracies, a significant portion of welfare benefits are often disproportionately directed to 'swing voters'—those who are undecided—rather than the most impoverished, flipping the expected logic of poverty alleviation on its head.
Why this is interesting
Imagine winning an election isn't about your grand vision, but about who you gave a bag of rice to last month. Why do some social programs seem to mysteriously favor certain neighborhoods or groups, even when they aren't the poorest?