Local Democracy and Development: The Kerala People's Campaign for Decentralized Planning

by T.M. Thomas Isaac, Richard W. Franke

In this definitive history, a key figure in the People's Campaign in Kerala provides an insider's account of one of the world's most extensive and successful experiments in decentralization. Launched in 1996, the campaign mobilized over 3 million of Kerala's 30 million people and resulted in bottom-up development planning in all 1,052 of its villages and urban neighborhoods. The authors detail the background of the campaign, trace its stages, assess problems and successes, and evaluate concrete results and reforms.

Local Democracy and Development tells a powerful story of mass mobilization and innovation as bureaucratic opposition was overcome, corruption and cynicism were rooted out, and parliamentary democracy prevailed. Considering both the theoretical and applied significance of the campaign both in the context of India's development since independence and of recent international debates about decentralization, civil society, and empowerment, this study provides invaluable lessons for sustainable development worldwide.

Genres: Politics, India

264 pages, Paperback

First published May 28, 2002

Reviews

[Manu · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book documents the experience of People’s Campaign for Decentralized Planning in the state of Kerala to empower local self-governments to prepare plans in a transparent and participatory manner. The process of decentralization was expected to generate pressure from the communities to bring about institutional reform and not merely an issue of administrative reforms. The book documents the process adopted very well and would be a great read for anyone looking to understand what such an exercise entails and the challenges thereof, especially when done at a reasonably large scale. There is a political bias in the narrative that comes out clearly which could have been avoided.

It would be a good time to have a sequel to the book to see what happened since then.

[Nandana · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gave a detailed understanding of the working of local government in Kerala, the proximity it is having with the citizens. The genesis of PPC programs is greatly advertised and detailed in the book, but there is a certain politicization which is reflected in the book.