Bureaucrat Assignments as Instruments of Political Control: Evidence from Land Administration Officials in Indiadoi:10.7910/DVN/BXZL6PHarvard Dataverse2026-03-091agnihotri, anustubh; Dasgupta, Aditya; Devesh Kapur, 2026, "Bureaucrat Assignments as Instruments of Political Control: Evidence from Land Administration Officials in India", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/BXZL6P, Harvard Dataverse, V1, UNF:6:oRNtjOJm+WrczrT7VbOcHA== [fileUNF]Bureaucrat Assignments as Instruments of Political Control: Evidence from Land Administration Officials in Indiadoi:10.7910/DVN/BXZL6Pagnihotri, anustubhDasgupta, AdityaDevesh KapurAnustubh AgnihotriHarvard DataverseAnustubh Agnihotriagnihotri, anustubh2025-06-14Social SciencesBureaucracy, Transfers, Political Economy, State CapacityThis paper investigates how politicians use personnel policy to control, and sometimes corrupt, bureaucratic behavior, focusing on the assignment of bureaucrats to geographical posts. With a matching model, we show that when posts vary in desirability, politicians can use assignments as carrots/sticks to control bureaucrats even when they cannot be fired. The argument is tested with a nationwide survey of Indian officials who regulate/administer land, a lucrative asset and source of political rents in fast-growing countries. With a novel design, we show that officials prefer posts with urban amenities, good staffing, and hometown proximity. These preferences are intense in salary-equivalent terms. Ruling parties pressure officials to bend regulations by strategically assigning them to their preferred posts but threatening transfer should they fail to comply, especially in locations with high corruption potential (volume of rural-to-urban land transactions). The findings highlight bureaucrat assignments as a potent instrument of political control/corruption of bureaucracy.This dataset underwent an independent verification process, complying with the AJPS Verification Policy updated June 2023, which replicated the tables and figures in the primary article. For the supplementary materials, verification was performed solely for the successful execution of the code. The verification process was carried out by the Cornell Center for Social Sciences at Cornell University. <br></br> The associated article has been awarded the Open Materials Badge. Learn more about the Open Practice Badges from the <a href="https://www.cos.io/">Center for Open Science</a>. <br></br> <img src="https://socialsciences.cornell.edu/sites/default/files/2024-04/materials_large_color.png" alt="Open Materials Badge " width="60" height="60"> <br></br> Open Materials BadgeAgnihotri, Anustubh, Aditya Dasgupta, and Devesh Kapur. 2022. “All India Tehsildar Survey.” https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/BXZL6P Harvard DataverseThe <i>American Journal of Political Science</i> and the Cornell Center for Social Sciences are not responsible for the accuracy or quality of data uploaded within the <i>AJPS</i> Dataverse, for the use of those data, or for interpretations or conclusions based on their use.This dataset is made available with limited information on how it can be used. 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