Decentralisation, Corruption and Social Capital: From India to the West

Hardcover, 229 pages, NOT ex-library. Portion of text highlighted in green on 164 pages; an annotation in pen on p.201. Interior is clean, untanned, free of stamps, securely bound. Boards show regular shelfwear. Issued without a dust jacket. -- Contents: 1. Introduction [Analysing Decentralisation, Corruption and Social Capital; Comparing Cases in India, with Illustrations from Around the World; Comparing Two Very Different States: Madhya Pradesh and Kerala; Directions in Which the Study Will Take Us; Steering Between Some Politico-Methodological Potholes]; 2. What Do We Mean By Decentralisation? A Historical and Conceptual Overview of Federalism's Closest Cousin [Early Examples of Decentralisation and Its Relatives; Feudal Structures, Conglomerate States, Colonialism, Anarchism and Democracy; Evaluating Decentralisation and the Outcomes We Can Expect (Geographical Location of Institutions; Legal Status and Areas of Responsibility of Institutions; Powers: From Responsibility and Autonomy to Privatisation); Objectives and Expectations of Decentralisation]; 3. Decentralisation in India: In Theory and Practice [Introduction; Making India Live Through Its Villages (Limping Indian Federalism; Panchayati Raj Reforms in India: - Geographical Location of Panchayats - Legal Status and Areas of Responsibility of the Panchayats - Moving Power to the Panchayats; Panchayati Raj Reforms in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh); Measuring Perception of Power in the Villages (Surveying Kerala and Madhya Pradesh; Bringing Bureaucrats, Politicians and Citizens Closer Together in Madhya Pradesh and Kerala; Effects of Decentralisation on Political Influence: - Gender - Caste - Education and Income - Social Capital - Age - Whole Model Examined); Conclusions]; 4. Corruption and its Causes [Corruption: From Moral Decay to Abuse of Public Office; Studies of Corruption in Modern Times (The Stick and the Carrot, and Corruption: - Proximity Factor; Corruption and Culture; Civil Society, Trust and Performance in the Public Sector)]; 5. Corruption in India [Measuring Corruption (Introduction: Avoiding the Inefficiency Fallacy; From High-level to Low-level Corruption in the Health and Education Sector; Absenteeism as a Form of Corruption; Illegal Absenteeism in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh; Matching Measurements of Performance); Explaining Corruption at the Individual and Village Levels (General Perceptions of Corruption and the Distinction Between the Public and Private Sectors: - Attitudes to Bribes and a Rule-governed Bureaucracy - Importance of Being Able to Distinguish Between Public and Private Sectors; What Decides the Level of Corruption at the Village Level?; Elite Perceptions and a Possible Link Between Decentralisation, Trust and Performance; Bonding Trust Among the Local Leaders and Performance; A Second Chance for Decentralisation; Other Factors Related to Bonding and Bridging Trust; Summary of Results and Discussion)]; 6. Utility of Bonding Trust and a New Look at the Role of Social Capital in Development [Western Democracy and Bonding Social Capital (Civil Rights Movement and Bonding Social Capital; Workers' Rights Movement and Bonding Social Capital; Women's Rights Movement and Bonding Social Capital; Power of Bonding Social Capital; Social Capital in India and the West)]; 7. Discussion: How Decentralisation, Corruption and Civil Society Connect [Decentralisation Reforms: Some Gain More Than Others (General Opinions on Influence and Effectiveness of Democratic Institutions; Decentralisation and Corruption); Why Social Capital Can Prevent Corruption: Two Effects of Trust (Trust, Collective Action and Corruption; Trust as a Passive Defence Against Corruption); Can There Still Be a Link That Makes Decentralisation a Useful Safeguard Against Corruption?; Policy Implications (Social Capital and Development; Corruption and Development; Decentralisation and Development); Epilogue]; References; Index.…