Planning at the Grassroots: An Experiment with Integrated District Planning

Baruah, Joydeep (2009): Planning at the Grassroots: An Experiment with Integrated District Planning. Published in: Social Change and Development , Vol. VI, No. 1 (November 2009): pp. 219-236.

Abstract

This short reflection has emanated from the author’s involvement in a project on Integrated District Planning in an action research mode in the context of 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution; and about a year long experience of field work related to it. The note begins with an introduction, a brief account of the project and processes adopted therein; followed by a section that puts the issues, discussed in some detail later on, in perspective. Then, it goes on to outline the major academic and practical issues as well as challenges that emerged with an attempt to provide a critique of the whole approach towards decentralised planning in particular, and democratic decentralisation in general.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: District Planning, Democratic Decentralisation, Panchyats, India, Assam
• Subjects: H - Public Economics > H1 - Structure and Scope of Government; H - Public Economics > H7 - State and Local Government ; Intergovernmental Relations; O - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth > O2 - Development Planning and Policy

References

Aziz, A; (2000); Democratic Decentralisation: Experience of Karnataka; Economic and Political Weekly; Vol. 35; No. 39

Benoit, J & Kornhauser L A; (1994); Social Choice in a Representative Democracy; The American Political Science Review; Vol.88; No. 1

Bergh, S; (2004); Democratic Decentralisation and Local Participation: A Review of Recent Research; Development in Practice; Vol.14; No. 6

Chandrasekhar, C P; (2001); Democratic Decentralisation and Planning Principle: The Transition from Below; Social Scientist; Vol. 29; No. 11/12

Dryzec, J S & List C; (2003); Social Choice Theory and Deliberative Democracy: A Reconciliation; British Journal of Political Science; Vol.33; No. 1

Ghosh, A; (1992); Federalism, Democracy and Decentralisation; Economic and Political Weekly; Vol. 27; No. 46

McFadden, D; (1994); Contingent Valuation and Social Choice; American Journal of Agricultural Economics; Vol. 76; No. 4

Natraj, V K; (2000); Political Decentralisation and Development Models; Economic and Political Weekly; Vol. 35; No. 26

Patnaik, P; (2004); A Theoretical Note on Kerala-Style Decentralisation; The Marxist; Vol. 20; No.1

Pattanaik, P K & Suzumura, K; (1994); Rights, Welfare and Social Choice; The American Economic Review; Vol. 84; No. 2

Radcliff, B & Wigenbach E; (2000); Preference aggregation, functional pathologies and Democracy: A Social Choice Defence of Participatory Democracy; The Journal of Politics; Vol. 62; No. 4

Raghuram, S; (2000); Kerela’s Democratic Decentralisation: History in the Making; Economic and Political Weekly; Vol. 35; No. 25

Sarmah, B; (2006); Rejuvenating Panchayati Raj: Ideology, Indian State and Lessons from Periphery; OKDISCD and Akansha Publishing House, New Delhi

Sen, A; (1992); Choice, Welfare and Measurement; Oxford University Press, New Delhi

Sen, A; (1983); Liberty and Social Choice; The Journal of Philosophy; Vol. 80; No. 1

Sen, A; (1970); The Impossibility of a Paretian Liberal; The Journal of Political Economy; Vol. 78; No. 1

Thomas Issac, T. M; (2001); Campaign for Democratic Decentralisation in Kerala; Social Scientist; Vol. 29; No. 9/10

Varshney, A; (1995); Democracy, Development and Countryside: Urban-Rural Struggles in India; Cambridge University Press, New York