Vaishnav, Milan. "Why Voters sometimes prefer Criminals as Candidates". Governance, Vol.29, No.4 (2016): 459-461.

Vaishnav, Milan. "Why Voters sometimes prefer Criminals as Candidates". Governance, Vol.29, No.4 (2016): 459-461.

• In many democracies, people regularly endorse criminals as candidates. This can be shown in developed countries like the USA, where a significant minority of New York politicians -- and Washington DC Mayor Marion Barry -- have criminal convictions, and in developing countries: Nigerian politicians regularly announce criminal gang affiliations, and over 60% of Brazil's parliamentarians have been arrested or are under active investigation (459).
• This is also the case in India, where 21% of all Lok Sabha representatives are under active investigation in serious criminal cases. This rate is 15% for regional legislators (459-460).
• Indian politicians will ongoing criminal investigations into their behavior are more likely to be reelected than those without allegations of criminality (460).
• Some have claimed that this is because Indian voters, like voters elsewhere, are ignorant of politicians' criminal backgrounds. This, however, is not the case. In fact, politicians often receive votes because of their criminal records and affiliations (460).
• Support of politicians with criminal records is usually found in situations with weak rule of law and highly salient social cleavages. In these situations, criminal backgrounds can demonstrate to voters an ability to provide their own administration where the state does not exist and a willingness to defend the interests of that community with criminal gangs against the state or other groups (460).