A Decentralisation Success Story?

Success Story?
Decentralisd Administration and Participatory Planning in Kerala by Jose George; Himalaya Publishing House, Mumbai,
K C SURI In recent years, there has been a tremendous revival of interest in decentralised government in developing countries. This was partly motivated by the new paradigms of governance, democracy and development that came to dominate much social science research in the wake of the collapse of the socialist and welfare states in Europe. The supporters of globalisation and liberalisation laid greater stress on the twin tasks of downsizing the centralised states in developing countries such as India, which had hitherto largely followed the path of development through centralised planning, state capitalism and administering welfare, and promoting participatory planning and empowerment of people at the local level. Decentralised government was considered a necessary means to promote democracy and development in these countries. This new thinking motivated new drives in decentralisation, as was evident in the passage in India of the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments and their energetic implementation in several states, as well as a plethora of research reports