Do educated leaders perform better? Evidence on parliamentary effort and constituency outcomes in India

Abstract

We investigate whether higher educational attainment among elected representatives improves legislative performance and constituency outcomes. Using a Regression Discontinuity Design on close parliamentary elections in India (2009–2023), we compare Members of Parliament (MPs) with postgraduate degrees to those without. Postgraduate MPs ask 126 more questions, participate in 30 more debates, introduce one additional private member's bill, and attend parliament 6 percentage points more often. They also raise 15 more questions on economic and financial affairs. Constituencies represented by postgraduate MPs see better development outcomes: 7.7 percentage points greater access to clean cooking fuel, 8 percentage points decrease in anaemia among women, and 12 percentage points growth in internet penetration. The results are robust to controls for MP and constituency characteristics. These findings suggest that formal education enhances both legislative effort and local development, reinforcing the role of educated leadership in improving governance and strengthening democratic institutions in developing democracies.