Do 'jobs' even matter in politics?

Some conventional wisdom about how economic outcomes affect politics will be tested on May 23

The verdicts in most recent general elections have always been interpreted on the basis of one or another set of economic factors. When Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s edition of the National Democratic Alliance was not elected after the “India Shining” campaign of 2004, most believed it was because of substantial rural distress, which followed two failed monsoons in its five years. (Inflation was also relatively low in its tenure.) Then, when Manmohan Singh won re-election in 2009, it was supposed that this was thanks to the strong growth record of the first United Progressive Alliance government. And, finally, when UPA-II was