Local Government in India: Policy and Practice : With Special Reference to a Field Study of Decentralization in Kerala

Contents: Acknowledgements. Part I: 1. Introduction. 2. The question of existence. 3. Institutional design. Part II: 4. Policies and practices in Kerala. 5. The institution of village Panchayat (Kerala). 6. Plans and projects of the Village Panchayat (Kerala). 7. Panchayati Raj across the tiers (Kerala). Part III: 8. Micro-institutions in macro-structures. 9. PRIs as opportunity. Annexes. Bibliography. Index.

"This book examines the development of Panchayati Raj Policy in India and analyses the actual functioning of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). In this analysis, Panchayati Raj is seen, not as a stand alone, static phenomenon, but is understood, on the one hand against the unique Indian socio political context that has shaped it, and on the other, as a dynamic process that varies spatially and temporally. The scrutiny is comprehensive: it includes the dynamics of policy formulation, i.e. the stated and unstated reasons for decentralization, as well outcomes, i.e. the organizational characteristics of PRIs and their larger impact. On the basis of this analysis, an attempt is made to access the potential of decentralization in India, and the way in which it can be maximized.

There is a special focus on the experiences of states that have been leaders in decentralization, i.e. in the pre-Seventy Third Constitutional Amendment scenario, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, and West Bengal, and in the post-constitutional amendment setting, the experience of Kerala, the most extensive so far in terms of financial devolution and highly \'evolved\' in terms of processes. The analysis of Kerala\'s decentralization is based on a detailed field study undertaken in 2003-04, which goes beyond the initial policy initiative phase (which has formed the subject of other books about Kerala), and looks at the actual functioning on PRIs in the field eight years later." (jacket)