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Deepening Divides: Decentralized Development and the ‘Tyranny’ of Participation
Author(s) -
Nair Tamara
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
journal of international development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.533
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1099-1328
pISSN - 0954-1748
DOI - 10.1002/jid.3233
Subject(s) - grassroots , disadvantaged , state (computer science) , corporate governance , public administration , government (linguistics) , political science , set (abstract data type) , local governance , sociology , local government , public relations , economic growth , economics , politics , law , management , linguistics , philosophy , algorithm , computer science , programming language
Decentralized governance and its possible shortcomings have been receiving increased attention in development discourse. However, there still remains a dearth of empirical data highlighting such pitfalls. Drawing on in‐depth interviews and literature reviews, this paper explores the extent of decentralized development planning at the grassroots level. Using the state of Kerala, India as a case study, I explore how local government institutions, specifically those in areas of disadvantaged communities, might operate in a manner that questions its ability to enable communities to become effective participants, despite long running institutional arrangements that have been set up to promote just that. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.