Decentralisation of Governance and Public Service Delivery
December 23, 2013, Kolkata

Dr. Pranab Bardhan, Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley delivered a lecture on the theme "Decentralisation of Governance and Public Service Delivery" at Satyajit Ray Auditorium, Rabindranath Tagore Centre, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, Kolkata on December 23, 2013.

Dr. Ajay Chibber, Director General, Independent Evaluation Organisation chaired the session while comments were provided by Shri M N Roy, Former Member, Expert Committee on Leveraging Panchayat Raj and Shri T R Raghunandan, Member, Committee on West Bengal Panchayat Raj Act.

''After its many failures, the centralised state everywhere has lost a great deal of legitimacy… A major dilemma of governance institutions in a developing country is a trade-off between autonomy and accountability, that is inevitably involved in most governance, including in the centralisation vs. decentralisation debate"  - Dr. Pranab Bardhan, Professor of Economics at the University of California, Berkeley

''Decentralisation is yet to be achieved in India. Comparing India with China, he said that though China is not a democratic country, but has a more decentralised and accountable government. The delivery of service at local level is one of the main deciding factors in the recent elections in India'' - Dr. Ajay Chhibber, Director General, Independent Evaluation Office

             In Media

                       Economist reveals stunning election truths of Bengal
                         The Times of India, December 24, 2013

                      The centralized state everywhere has lost a great deal of legitimacy: Bardhan
                         Kolkata, December 24, 2013

             Presentation

                              Decentralization and Development: Dilemmas and Trade-offs by Pranab Bardhan

            Report

            Glimpses