Non-state Welfare and Identity in the Global South

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

How does non-state welfare provision shape politics in general and citizens' relationship with the state, in particular? Around the world, citizens frequently rely on family, coethnics and religious organizations for a variety of essential public goods and social insurance, from gaining access to healthcare and education, to dealing with shocks to their income or livelihood. The political consequences of such welfare provision are as important as they are complex and multifaceted. The papers in this panel are dedicated to exploring different consequences of non-state welfare, focusing on the role of identity, religion and families in the provision of goods and services.

The first two papers study welfare and intergroup solidarity in divided societies. Akshay Dixit’s paper delves into how social insurance provided within caste networks is one reason why the traditional institution of caste persists in India, and how inter-caste relations are being reshaped by the democratic welfare state. Melani Cammett, Daniel Corstange and Amanda Rizkallah probe the limits of solidarity and altruism in the face of a crisis in Lebanon, a context where non-state service provision has played its part in shaping religious boundaries.

The next two papers focus on the implications of non-state welfare for citizen-state interaction. Paula Rettl tackles the question of how the provision of club goods and services by religious organizations impacts citizens’ preferences towards state-led redistribution as well as trust in state institutions in Brazil, while Catherine De Vries, David Doyle, Hector Solaz and Katerina Tertytchnaya illuminate how remittances influence citizens’ demand for political accountability in Kyrgyzstan.

The four papers leverage cases from contexts where non-state provision of public services and goods is widespread and where welfare provision by the state is often insufficient: India, Lebanon, Brazil and Kyrgyzstan. We hope that the panel will serve as an effective means to facilitate a conversation on the theme across regional boundaries.

Sub Unit

• Division 11: Comparative Politics

Individual Presentations

• The Effect of Welfare on Caste Networks and Identity in India - Akshay Govind Dixit, Harvard University

• Crisis and Social Solidarity in Divided Societies - Amanda Rizkallah, Pepperdine University; Melani Cammett, Harvard University; Rochelle Sun, Harvard University

• Welfare Provision by Religious Organizations and Expectations about the State - Paula Rettl, Harvard Business School

• Remittances, Interactions with the State and Political Accountability - Catherine E. De Vries, Bocconi University; David Doyle, University of Oxford; Hector Solaz, University of Oxford; Katerina Tertytchnaya, University of Oxford

Chair

• Paula Rettl Harvard Business School

Discussants

• Tariq Thachil University of Pennsylvania

• Natalia Salgado Bueno Emory University