Abstract
We examine whether parliamentary elections, political stability, and government effectiveness affect banks’ risk in one of the largest democracies – India. We employ four measures of bank risk – net and gross Non-Performing Loans (NPL), the extent of loans restructured, and lending to the priority sector. Using dynamic panel data with a two-step system GMM approach, we find that NPL and lending to the priority sector increase during the years parliamentary elections are held. A stable political environment reduces net NPL, while an effective government increases NPL and lending to the priority sector. Further, we document meaningful differences in the behavior of state-owned and private banks around parliamentary elections. Credit market competition and moral hazard channels drive the relationship between bank risk and elections.
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