Participatory governance has a long history in India and this book traces historical-intellectual trajectories of participatory governance and how older Western discourses have influenced Indian policymakers. While colonial rulers devolved power to accommodate dissenting voices, for independent India, participatory governance was a design for democratizing governance in its true sense. Participation also acted as a vehicle for localizing governance. The author draws on both Western and non-Western theoretical treatises and the book seeks to conceptualize localizing governance also as a contextual response. It also makes the argument that despite being located in different socio-economic and political milieu, thinkers converge to appreciate localizing governance as perhaps the only reliable means to democratize governance. The book aims to confirm this argument by reference to sets of evidence from the Indian experience of localizing governance. By attempting a genealogy of participatory governance in the West and in India, and an empirical study of participatory governance in India, the book sheds light on the exchange of ideas and concepts through space and time, thus adding to the growing body of literature in the social sciences on ‘conceptual flow’. It will be of interest to political scientists and historians, in particularly those studying South Asia.

Participatory governance has a long history in India and this book traces historical-intellectual trajectories of participatory governance and how older Western discourses have influenced Indian policymakers. While colonial rulers devolved power to accommodate dissenting voices, for independent India, participatory governance was a design for democratizing governance in its true sense. Participation also acted as a vehicle for localizing governance. The author draws on both Western and non-Western theoretical treatises and the book seeks to conceptualize localizing governance also as a contextual response. It also makes the argument that despite being located in different socio-economic and political milieu, thinkers converge to appreciate localizing governance as perhaps the only reliable means to democratize governance. The book aims to confirm this argument by reference to sets of evidence from the Indian experience of localizing governance. By attempting a genealogy of participatory governance in the West and in India, and an empirical study of participatory governance in India, the book sheds light on the exchange of ideas and concepts through space and time, thus adding to the growing body of literature in the social sciences on ‘conceptual flow’. It will be of interest to political scientists and historians, in particularly those studying South Asia.

Local Governance in India draws on the basic theoretical and practical aspects of localizing governance and illuminates how local governance unfolds in India. To help comprehend relevant issues contextually, the book focuses on the historical, socio-economic and political milieus, and draws extensively on examples and cases from India. By understanding local governance in the wider political scenario, it also endeavours to reconceptualize local governance in India as integral to the country’s macro politics. The book offers a broad analysis of specific programmes, such as MGNREGA, and structures of governance at the grass-roots level, thereby providing insights into relatively less-discussed aspects and helps grasp the concept of governance in a policy perspective. Containing varied examples, case studies and literature review, this textbook would be an ideal companion for students of political science, public administration, urban and rural development, sociology, social work and economics. Key Features: · Provides a concise and well-balanced coverage of rural and urban governance in India · Incorporates insights into and explanations of both Western and non-Western perspectives of local governance · Dwells on contemporary trends in democratization and local governance · Makes a projective study of future of local governance in India

Contributed research papers presented at a workshop organised by Centre for the Study of Law and Governance at Jawaharlal Nehru University in collaboration with the UNDP and UN-Habitat in April 2002.

Over the past three decades, decentralization has been seen as the means for allowing local governments to become more accountable, and for encouraging the deepening of democracy and the building of village communities. By drawing on original village-level case studies of six villages in three different Indian states, this book presents a systematic analysis of the impact of decentralization on the delivery of social services at the local level within India. Supplementing national and state-level data and analyzing the different historical legacies in each state, the book argues that decentralization is not simply a function of the structure of the decentralization program or of the relationship between higher-tiered and local government. Rather, the possibility of decentralization affecting social outcomes depends on several interacting factors, including the distribution of power among local elites, the dynamics of political competition, and the level of civil society mobilization. By examining constitutionally-mandated political decentralization across India, this book identifies the circumstances under which local government structures can lead to improved social services and societal wellbeing, as well as presenting a substantial contribution to studies on South Asian Politics and Local Government.

Local Government in India provides an insight into the system of urban local governance in India and traces its evolution since independence. Urban governments are the organs for promoting grass root democracy and providing not only civic services for the welfare of the local people but also for carrying out the task of urban development and planning. This book tries to analyze their role and existence in the face of rapid urbanization, population growth and industrialization.