Decentralised governance and Development in india:

A study in west bengal

SUMMARY
FOR THE PARTIAL FULLFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF

MASTER OF ART POLITICAL SCIENCE

UNDER THE GUIDANCE OF UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF

SUBMITTED BY

DR. MPS GROUP COLLEGE OF BUSINESS STUDIES Agra Delhi Highway, Sikandra
(Near Naveen Sabji Mandi), Agra- 282007

CONTENTS

CHAPTER-1 CHAPTER-1I CHAPTER-III CHAPTER-IV CHAPTER-V

Introduction Analytical Framework and Methodology Decentralised Governance in West Bengal: An Overview People's Participation in Planning and Implementation Decentralised Governance: Transparency and Accountability

CHAPTER-VI

Social Capital in Making Decentralised Governance Effective

CHAPTER-VII Decentralised Governance and Development CHAPTER-VIII Summary and Policy Prescription

INTRODUCTION

I shall work for an India in which the poorest shall feel that it is their country, in whose making they have an effective voice.

- Mahatma Gandhi

The enormous and growing discussions on decentralised governance has attracted the attention of scholars and policy makers allover the world. Decentralised governance has been conceived as an instrument of local self-government for promoting healthy development. It is expected to facilitate effective people's participation, enhance degree of transparency and ensure greater accountability. Decentralised governance is assumed to provide more effective and competitive delivery of services at the grassroots level. Being closer to the people, decentralised governance is assumed to meet needs and preferences of the people (Crook 2003:77; Braun and Grote 2002:90; Sangita 2002: 145; Breton 2002:41; Bardhan and Mookherjee 2000). The services provided by decentralised governance are considered to be cost effective besides helping in the mobilisation of local resources in the form of labour and material. However, there are some scholars who have expressed reservation about the efficacy of decentralised governance (Prud'homme 1995:201; Tanzi 1995). rud'homme argues that decentralised governance promotes inefficiency and scope for corruption due to an influence of interest groups and discretion of local officials. The long tenure of officials at the same place makes it easier to establish unethical relationships with the local people. TanzI also argues

that

decentralisation

promotes

personalism

and

reduces

professionalism.

Personalism breeds corruption as officials pay greater attention to individual citizen's needs and disregard public interest, thereby defeating the philosophy of decentralised governance. Moreover, the whole idea of decentralised governance is based upon some key factors like people's participation, accountability, transparency, and fiscal transfers (Braun and Grote 2002:89; Tanzi 2001:13; Romeo 1999:137; Crook and Manor 1998:2; Litvack

et. a/. 1998:7). These are interlinked and their effects on

development cannot simply be measured. The critique of decentralisation is valid in those regions of the world where poverty and a dysfunctional democracy are rampant for various reasons. A large part of literature talks about issues of quality of citizens' participation and broader questions of democratic control. The critical democratic theorists have noted that the predominant mode of social organisations is not a vertical relationship of authority between selfish individuals and the supra state, but a series of horizontal associations embodying groups of individuals who are capable of regulating and expressing themselves as members of a community, rather than as self-promoting individuals (RoyChowdhury 1996:2). Decentralised governance may be effective in some parts of the world, where people are active, Vigilant, and participative. In such societies, civil society groups assume far greater roles in educating people and, ultimately, people themselves seek greater accountability (fairness) from elected members and officials In meeting their immediate needs. On similar lines, recently the theory of social capital has

been receiving increasing attention and it has begun to generate a remarkable consensus regarding the role and importance of communities and local organisations In making decentralized governance effective (Sangita 2002:169; Marjit 1999:1200; Sundaram 1997:48; Putnam 1993:182;Slater and Watson 1993:124). Matching with the global trend, developing countries often initiate decentralised governance to promote development. India IS not an exception to this trend. India has been experimenting with the decentralised governance process for quite some time. After India attaining independence Mahatma Gandhi - father of the nation - strongly favoured far larger role for panchayats as small republics,enjoying complete political autonomy.

ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK AND METHODOLOGY

Think of life as an immense problem, an equation, or rather a family of equation, partially dependent on each other, partially independent ... It being understood that these equations are very complex, that they are full of surprises, and that we are often unable to discover their "roots ': - Braudel

We now proceed to explain analytical framework and methodology In the light of the objectives as mentioned in the previous chapter. It may be recalled that in theory, decentralised governance was expected to promote development when it presents necessary conditions like people's participation, accountability, transparency and social capital. It is proposed in this chapter to present the analytical framework by illustrating the relationship between various variables and spell out the methodology selected for the study.

Analytical Framework
The status of decentralised governance and development in West Bengal is analysed through the following framework as elucidated by Romeo (1999) In the

"Decentralisation-to-Rural Development" paradigm. To analyse the relationships between different factors, Romeo describes the concept "ecology of governance" that transcends the activity of the state sector and refers to a balance and network between the state, civil SOCiety (stated as social capital) and market place. However, we have confined ourselves to analyse only the factors that have been mentioned above. This study will explain the relationship between decentralised governance and development

as an outcome from four main aspects as shown in the flow chart. These four aspects are, people's participation, transparency, accountability, and social capital, which transcend the activities of governance as well as ensure development.

DECENTRALISED GOVERNANCE IN WEST BENGAL: AN OVERVIEW

We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop. Mother Teresa In this chapter we shall attempt to

provide an overview of decentralised governance in West Bengal. Such an overview is necessary in order to understand the way in which decentralization has evolved in West Bengal, and the degree of devolution of power to the people. It will also help to identify a number of common characteristics or trends that may help to establish policy prescription. However, at the beginning it is important to present a brief overview of decentralised governance in India since state government and decentralised system has been functioning under a federal policy and centrally controlled administration, finance, and development policy. The Indian Context India has been experimenting with the decentralised governance practices for quite some time. In the Indian context, decentralization enjoyed a traditional name 'Panchayat'. Mahatma Gandhi was inspired by an idyllic view of the village life and the village organisation and formulated his ideas as a sine qua non for alternative polity of a free India. He observed that India lives in its village and its development process will start with village and villagers. Gandhi emphasised on the supremacy of the people and insisted in the people's democracy as sovereignty at the grassroots which he called "panchayat".l His idea was to establish such a society where every individual got
maximum freedom and opportunity to develop personality and character to the maximum. Therefore, he stated that decentralisation was essential for true democracy, in which everyone can participate in the decision making and implementation processes (Islam 2003:63). However, Gandhi's plan of decentralisation failed to win acceptance in the operative scheme of the Constitution of India. Soon after independence the urban and the rural elite and their representatives In politics had disdained for panchayats. They had started looking at elite dominant bureaucratic system as the British ruled in India. The Drafting Committee of the Constitution of India effortlessly did exclude panchayat in the Constitution. Since, Ambedkar, Chairman of the Drafting Committee of the Constitution had a different view of the Indian rural society, who argued in the

Constituent Assembly that "village communities have survived surelyon a low, on a selfish level. I hold that these village republics have been the ruination of India. I am, therefore, surprised that those who condemn provincialism and communalism should forward as champions of the village. What is the village, but a sink of localism, a den of Ignorance, narrow mindness and communalism" (Constituent Assembly debates 4th, November1948). In his point of view, it would be dangerous to give power to the panchayat, as he thought that it may control rural power structure, which would work to the detriment of the Harijans and the rural poor.

PEOPLE'S PARTICIPATION IN PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION

Participation has a powerful grip on the minds of many but a flimsy influence upon development practice. -Anon

The objectives of the study are mentioned in the first chapter. A chapter each is devoted to focus on these objectives. It may be recalled that In theory, decentralised governance was expected to promote development when it presents necessary conditions like people's participation, accountability, transparency and social capital. The present chapter considers people's participation as an important condition Internal to decentralised governance. Therefore, it is proposed In this chapter to examine the relationship between decentralised governance and people's participation. Introduction People's participation and its relationship to development has become a favourite concept of discussion and has now moved into government, donor and private sector agencies. It is a revolution in the thinking of scholars, and particularly, donor organisations that make people's participation the central objective in all parts of life (UNDP 1993). The donor organisations have become enthusiastic in supporting such Initiatives. It is for the first time that the United Nations Economic and Social Council recommended that government in any country should adopt people's participation as a basic policy measure in national development strategy and should encourage the widest possible active participation of all individuals and Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), such as trade unions, youth and women organisations in the development process in setting goals, formulating policies and implementing plans (1975). The other donor agencies like USAID (1975) also made it clear that the American Development Assistance is to be extended in ways that the beneficiaries'

involvement becomes mandatory in the planning and implementation, as well as in the gains of the development. Besides this, the World Bank has formally agreed to support government in an effort to promote a more enabling environment for participatory development within the client countries (World Bank 1994).

DECENTRALISED GOVERNANCE: AND ACCOUNTABILITY Treasury from being defrauded, let all money be issued openly in front of the whole dty, and let copies of the accounts be deposited in various wards ... We would proceed to examine the second objective of this study. The present chapter deals with accountability and transparency as an important condition internal to decentralised governance. Therefore, it is proposed here to examine the relationship between decentralised governance and transparency as well as accountability. Introduction Decentralised governance tends to ensure transparency and accountability at the local level since it entails power and autonomy to elected representatives and people (Manor 1997:75). People tend to put their desires to representatives and officials more often because of their close affinity with their elected members and officials. Decentralised governance makes representatives and officials more responsible to citizens' demands and more effective in delivery of services by ensuring transparency and accountability. It permits elected bodies and officials to be held accountable to the local citizens through the locai level institutes, rules and procedures. These give rise to more effective performance of development. Decentralised governance accommodates that the activities of it will be reflected by the citizens and their elected representatives. It is a truism that promises made by representatives both before and after elections are often not implemented. Even if a few of these are implemented they never help the poor or weaker sections. Power is concentrated in the hands of local elite and officials.