Inclusion and Exclusion in Local Governance: Field Studies from Rural India

Description

Inclusion and Exclusion in Local Governance: Field Studies from Rural India is a product of a rare national-level study conducted in 42 panchayats across 12 states to reveal how democratic decentralization is working in Indian villages. This is done through stories of empowerment as well as discrimination against women, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes (SCs and STs). The contributors have adopted a unique research methodology which may set a trend for future national-level qualitative studies. The field studies offer insights about rural India from a micro-level perspective instead of providing macro-level generalities. This collection will be of considerable interest to students, researchers, academicians and practitioners working in the fields of Local Governance, Political Sociology and Rural Development. Contents Preface Introduction Including the Excluded: Empowering the Powerless through Panchayati Raj in Maharashtra Power to the Excluded Groups and Panchayati Raj in Coastal Orissa Negotiating with Empowerment: Panchayati Raj in Andhra Pradesh Panchayati Raj or Party Raj? Understanding the Nature of Local Government in West Bengal On the Floor and Behind the Veil: The Excluded in the Panchayati Raj in Haryana Including the Excluded through Panchayati Raj in Karnataka Understanding Grassroots Power and Excluded Communities in Kerala Caste, Party and Democratic Decentralization in Karnataka Gender, Caste and Politics in Rural Tamil Nadu ’Brushed under the Carpet’: Inclusion and Exclusion in Manipur Changing Power Relations through Panchayats in Maharashtra Dynamics of Inclusion and Exclusion in Uttar Pradesh Devolution of Power through Panchayats in Rajasthan Local Governance and Social Change in Gujarat About the Editors and Contributors Index