Traditional models of clientelism assume little choice for poor voters, but India's urban slums show broker competition.
➡️ METHODOLOGY & SAMPLE
To understand resident preferences and selection dynamics, we employed an ethnographically informed conjoint survey experiment with 2,199 residents across 110 diverse slums in two major Indian cities (Delhi).
➡️ KEY FINDINGS
Survey results revealed that slum residents prioritize brokers demonstrating strong capability to access government services over other factors.
➡️ BROKER VERSUS CLIENT TRAITS
Interviews with 629 slum leaders confirmed client-preferred traits significantly distinguish brokers from non-broker residents.
➡️ POLITICAL IMPLICATIONS
These findings challenge the view that broker-client ties form automatically, demonstrating how individual resident choices actively shape brokerage environments.
