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.

Contributed articles.

The book consistently supported by tables, figures and statistical data identifies the key factors influencing democratic decentralization. It assertains the opinion and reasons of farmers, people's representatives and Government officials on the selected provisions of 1983 and 1993 Acts. It also identifies the perceived problems and elicits suggestions from them to make Panchayati Raj Institutions function effectively.

​This book discusses the elite capture taking place in the development programmes implemented through Grama Panchayats (GPs), the lowest tier in the rural local self-government structure in India. Inclusive growth being the cherished goal of all the developing countries, including India, the book assesses whether checks and balances incorporated in development programmes prevent elite capture and promote inclusive development. It also highlights the role of community-based organisations, such as SHGs, in ensuring development benefits reach marginalized groups. The policy makers in India introduced decentralised governance to facilitate the participation of marginalized groups in the planning and implementation of development programmes at the local level, and to ensure that development benefits reach them. International agreements such as the Hyogo Framework for Action, Millennium Development Goals and Sustainable Development Goals also call for decentralised governance for inclusive growth. The issue of elite capture has traditionally been studied mainly from the sociological perspective, i.e., how the local upper/dominant castes and classes garner the positions and benefits. But with the new and structured governance system that is in place at the local level in contemporary India, this book explores how decentralised governance is addressing the issue of elite capture. The study closely analyses micro processes of decentralisation to understand how elite capture is taking place. Additionally, it examines this concern from both governance and economic perspectives. The scope of the book is wide, and encompasses several aspects such as the functioning of the local government, decentralised governance, checks and balances in development programmes, community-based organisations, the upward political linkages and elite capture. It is equally relevant to researchers from several social science disciplines, civil society, policy makers, and implementers from the grassroots to national level government.