Why crime pays

RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors. Originally published in: Justice Quarterly, v. Add to Cart. The Rise of Russia's New Nationalism. Charles Clover. Micheline R. Power and Money in Central Asia. Alexander Cooley and John Heathershaw. Extraction, Violence, and Legitimacy.

Sumit Ganguly and William R. We look at every kind of content that may matter to our audience: books, but also articles, reports, videos and podcasts.

What we say here about books applies to all formats we cover. While the rating tells you how good a book is according to our two core criteria, it says nothing about its particular defining features.

Therefore, we use a set of 20 qualities to characterize each book by its strengths:. Innovative — You can expect some truly fresh ideas and insights on brand-new products or trends. With its stew of languages and religions, India often appears inscrutable to outsiders. Indian politics are no exception. In recent decades, a significant percentage of Indian lawmakers have faced serious criminal charges, including murder, kidnapping and rape.

South Asia foreign policy expert Milan Vaishnav lays out the reasons behind this strange development. His book makes for sober reading. In an email exchange, he helped explain the "crime-politics nexus" in Indian politics and why India's case matters not just for other developing countries and nascent democracies, but also to established ones like the United States. Criminals have been active in Indian politics for decades, dating back to the country's first elections following independence in Back then, the Congress Party [which led India's struggle for independence] was the center of political gravity and it contracted with criminals to mobilize or suppress turnout, hand out pre-election "goodies" or, in some extreme cases, capture polling booths.

Over time, political competition intensified and, as the Congress Party's hegemony began to atrophy, criminals realized that they had accumulated enough clout, notoriety and resources to cut out the politician and contest elections on their own. Criminals sought out politics to ensure their protection — from the state as well as from their rivals — and to make even more money by tapping into government contracts, funds, and patronage. Across the world, elections have grown increasingly expensive.

This, to my mind, is the most perplexing piece of the puzzle. It's one thing for criminals to run for office and parties to welcome them, but why would voters willingly back them?

Much to my surprise, most voters I spoke with were not only aware of politicians' criminal backgrounds, but often voted for them precisely for this reason. In an environment where the rule of law is weak — which means the government cannot carry out its sovereign responsibilities effectively — and society is deeply divided along ethnic lines, many voters view strongmen as saviors.

These politicians tout their willingness and ability to "do whatever it takes" to represent their community's interests. They reinforce this message by expressly catering to their narrow segment of the electorate. In a country with a fragmented, multi-party political system, you can often win elections by rallying your core supporters.

Voter ignorance, I found, is not a compelling explanation of voter behavior. For starters, candidates who have outlaw reputations often make a great show of highlighting their criminal reputations.

Far from being obscured, they are often worn as a badge of honor. Second, voters in poor countries have all kinds of informal mechanisms of getting information outside of established media channels.