Working Paper
Education reforms, bureaucracy and the puzzles of implementation: A case study from Bihar
ByIt is a widely accepted truth that the Indian state suffers from a serious crisis of implementation capability. Despite widespread recognition of this crisis, there is remarkably little analytical work on how the Indian state works, particularly at the level of implementation. Read more »
Taxes: Price of Civilization or Tribute to Leviathan?
ByThere are two dominant narratives about taxation. One is that taxes are the “price we pay for a civilized society” (Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.). Read more »
Value Subtraction in Public Sector Production: Accounting Versus Economic Cost of Primary Schooling in India
ByWe combine newly created data on per student government expenditure on children in government elementary schools across India, data on per student expenditure by households on students attending private elementary schools, and the ASER measure of learning achievement of students in rur Read more »
Rights, Accountability and Citizenship: Examining India's Emerging Welfare State
ByPublic sector service delivery in India is notorious for its low coverage, poor quality and high corruption. This is in striking contrast to the political commitment toinclusive development, and the aspirations of the Indian Constitution. Read more »
How Much Does India Spend Per Student on Elementary Education?
ByRecent years have seen significant changes in the landscape of elementary education (EE) in India. Yet, updated estimates on public and private expenditure on EE are not available. Read more »
Impact of Private Tutoring on Learning Levels: Evidence from India
ByDespite widespread and substantial private expenditure on private tutoring outside the formal school system in many developing countries, not much is known about their effects on learning outcomes. Read more »
Spectators or Participants? Examining the Effects of Social Audits on Citizen-State Relations and the Local Politics of Corruption in Andhra Pradesh
ByHow does a hierarchical, top-down state respond to efforts to become directly accountable to its citizens? This paper analyses this question through India’s experience with implementing social audits for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the state of Andhra Pradesh (AP), India. Read more »
Unpacking transparency and accountability measures
In 2008, Kaluram Salvi, Sarpanch of Vijaypura Gram Panchayat, Rajsamand district Rajasthan, implemented a unique experiment aimed at strengthening transparency in the implementation of the Mahatama Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Read more »
Strengthening public accountability: Lessons from implementing social audits in Andhra Pradesh
In recent months, public discourse in India has been dominated by a heated debate on how to address the endemic corruption in India’s public institutions. The agitation for the Lok Pal bill and the ensuing discussions has brought the role of anti-corruption institutions and accountability mechanisms to the heart of this debate. Read more »
Review of the working of the Karnataka State Human Rights Commission and the Karnataka State Commission for Women
It is widely acknowledged that India’s accountability institutions – Parliament, judiciary,oversight bodies, and regulatory institutions- have underperformed significantly. Worryingly, with growing corruption and heightened public scrutiny in the recent past, the credibility of these institutions is now a matter of serious concern. Read more »
