Papers presented at a symposium organized by the Institute of Social Sciences, New Delhi.

Development Planning Is A Dynamic Process Of Desired Change In The Historical Flows Of Men, Materials And Products. The Change May Be Slow But Steady Or Drastic. In Decentralised Planning, However, Drastic Changes In Historical Flows Are Constrained By Regional And National Priorities. The Work Marshals The Fundamentals Of Economics, Political Science And Public Administration To Develop A Conceptualisation Of De¬Centralisation, Panchayati Raj Institutions And District Planning. Besides, It Examines The Experiences Of Indian States, Particularly That Of Punjab.The Issues Are Organised In Four Broad Parts : Part I, On Decentralisation, Scans Through The Theoretical Foundations And Planning Experiences In Respect Of Decentralisation. Part Ii, On Panchayati Raj Local Self-Government Institutions, Dilates On The Punjab Panchayati Raj Bill, 1994 And Panchayat Finances. Part Hi, On Agro-Climatic Regional Planning Strategy Examines The Relevance Of Agro-Climatic Regionalisation At District Level. Part Iv, On District Development Planning Strategy, Examines The District'S Strengths And Weaknessess In Terms Of Population And Workforce, Income Flows, Non-Agriculture Enterprises And Agricultural Enterprises. In The Final Round, It Develops A Development Strategy For The District Economy. The Work Will Be Useful To Policy Makers, Planners, Students Of Development And Institutional Economics, Public Administration And Political Science, And Trainers And Trainees Of State And District Planning Institutes.

Contributed articles.

This book is an analytical examination of financing and public service delivery challenges in a decentralized framework. It also provides critical insights into the effectiveness of public expenditure, through benefit incidence analysis of education and healthcare services in India. The benefits of decentralization always come with conflicts and trade-offs. By unpacking the process of decentralization, the authors identify that 'unfunded mandates', arising from the asymmetry between finances and functions at local levels, are a major challenge. The analysis is carried out by distilling the existing studies in this area, and through an empirical investigation of public finance data at different public sector levels in India, as well as in some selected developing countries. Using the household survey statistics of consumption expenditure, an analysis of utilization or benefit incidence of public spending on social sectors in India is achieved, covering education and health sectors. This title is available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.

This handbook examines 25 years of decentralised governance and development in India. It provides a historical overview of developments since the introduction of decentralisation reforms (73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts) and critically assesses the measures initiated to strengthen decentralised institutions and deepen grassroots democracy. It also discusses the status of service delivery and identifies the issues and challenges involved in achieving development at the local level. The volume studies themes such as the devolution of powers in India, administrative and fiscal decentralisation, decentralised planning, Panchayats in scheduled areas, the sociological aspects of decentralisation, caste, gender and local democracy, capacity building, ICT for local governance, urban local governance, workfare and decentralisation, and decentralised natural resource management. It also looks at Panchayati Raj institutions from a Gandhian perspective. The first of its kind, this handbook will be an essential read for scholars and researchers of decentralisation and development, development studies, fiscal decentralisation, political studies, political sociology, Indian politics, Indian government, public policy and governance, political economy, South Asian studies, and South Asian politics.