Why do governments choose particular policies and institutions? Why do some people benefit and others lose from policies meant to improve general economic, political and social well-being? My studies stem from a desire to understand the politics of development. In these studies, I seek to identify and theorize the interlinkages among political competition, political institutions, ethnicity, public policy and the economy. These studies draw on my interest in the political economy of developing countries, and their principal empirical focus is on the political economy of India.