NEW NEW NEW NEW Size : 150mm x 230mm • Pages : xviii+366pp
• Year : 2014 • Binding : Hardback • ISBN : 9789382264781 • Price ` 895.00 only
Decentralization and Empowerment for Rural Development Hari K. Nagarajan, Hans P. Binswanger-Mkhize & S.S. Meenakshisundaram Hari K. Nagarajan is Professor and RBI Chair in Rural Economics at Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA). Hans P. Binswanger-Mkhize is Visiting Professor at the School of Economics and Management, China Agricultural University, Beijing and Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Pretoria, South Africa. S. S. Meenakshisundaram is Visiting Professor at National Institute for Advanced Sciences (NIAS), and Institute of Social and Economic Change (ISEC), Bangalore.
Decentralization and Empowerment for Rural Development Hari K. Nagarajan, Hans P. Binswanger-Mkhize & S.S. Meenakshisundaram
of tied grants that Panchayats receive has long been criticized as leading to a general constriction of choices left with the Panchayats to be able to effectively allocate expenditures. Most importantly, the book quantifies the impact of Panchayats in terms of the ability of households to reduce vulnerability and transit out of poverty.
CONTENTS
This book examines the empowerment of citizens in general and of the poor and marginalized groups in particular by the process of decentralization. It discusses the precise role of Panchayat and local governance on the quantity and quality of services. Some of the findings include – long term impacts of political reservation for women, positive relationship between local revenue generation and quality of governance, significant welfare gains due to parochial politics and even bribes. The mechanisms through which improvements in governance are achieved include Gram Sabha meetings with specific agenda related to services, participation of households in such meetings, and, the impact of specific institutions such as VECs, VWUSCs, and the Pani Panchayats. The authors are able to prove that a positive relationship exists between the quality of services and increasing local revenues. The large number
List of Tables and Figures • Foreword 1 • Foreword 2 • Preface ; 1 Introduction; 2. Decentralization: Cross-country Experiences; 3. Thinking about Decentralization in India: 73rd Amendment and Beyond ; 4. Literature; 5. An Overview of the Data; 6. Analytical Approaches and Econometric Methods Used; 7. Can Panchayats Improve the Quality of Services? Some Qualitative Evidence; 8. Impact of Political Reservations for Women in Panchayats; 9. Importance of Individual Empowerment of Women; 10. Governance, Service Provision and Development Outcomes; 11. The Impact of Fiscal Grants on Tax Efforts of Village Panchayats; 12. Incidence of Identity-based Voting and Bribes in Panchayats; 13. Panchayats and Household Vulnerability; 14. Key Findings, Conclusions and Policy Recommendations • References • Index • About the Authors Foundation Books is an imprint of Cambridge University Press, India.
Available from:
India Private Limited www.cambridgeindia.org Cambridge House, 4381/4, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi-110002 Tel.: +91 11 43543500 Fax: +91 11 23288534 Email: cupdel@cambridge.org C-22, Brigade M.M., K.R. Road, Jayanagar, Bengaluru-560070 Tel.: +91 80 65593388, 26764817, 26762764 Fax: +91 80 26761322 Email: cupbang@cambridge.org Cambridge House, Plot No. 80, Service Industries, Shirvane, Sector-1, Nerul, Navi Mumbai-400706 Tel.: +91 22 27709172, 27713810 Fax: 91 22 27709173 Email: cupmum@cambridge.org The Cambridge Centre, 10, Raja Subodh Mullick Square, 2nd Floor, Kolkata-700013 Tel.: +91 33 22259976, 22250046 Fax: +91 33 22250327 Email: cupkol@cambridge.org The Cambridge Centre, 21/1 (New No. 49), 1st Floor, Model School Road, Thousand Lights, Chennai-600006 Tel.: +91 44 42146807, 28291294 Fax: +91 44 28291295 Email: cupchen@cambridge.org House No. 3-5-874/6/4 (Near Fernandez Hospital, OP Block), St. No. 5, Hyderguda, Hyderabad-500029 Tel.: +91 40 23244458, 66101126 Fax: +91 40 23244459 Email: cuphyd@cambridge.org Agarwal Pride, A Wing, 1308, Kasba Peth, Near Surya Hospital, Pune-411011 Tel.: +91 20 24575767, 24575768 Fax: +91 20 24575768 Email: cuppune@cambridge.org T.C. 25/2732, Lukes Lane, Ambujavilasam Road, Thiruvananthapuram-695001 Tel: +91 471 4064404, 4064405 Fax: +91 471 4070093 Email: cuptvm@cambridge.org Representative Office: Monzeera House, Om Bhawan, 2nd Floor, Panbazar, Guwahati-781001 Telefax: +91 361 2735336 Email: nkakoty@cambridge.org Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/cambridgeindia
Twitter: www.twitter.com/cambridgeindia
07/2014