Panchayati Raj
CHAPTER -III
PANCHAYATI RAJ – A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Contemporary debates on decentralization has revolved around three important issues: issues of historicity, 92 issues of expanding democratic spaces,93 and finally inclusive growth as well as inclusive politics of social categories.
These debate have over looked certain historical facts – one, it has overlooked the historicity of decentralization particularly in the imagined history of orient, and thereby accept the argument that it is a post-colonial contemporary phenomenon, particularly it belongs to the decade as well as the realm of globalization. The latter is argued on the ground that many developing countries witnessed the process of decentralization either during 1980s or 1990s as part of policy prescription advocated by the global agencies. One can give many examples for such a trend. In Bolivia, for example the trend began during
1994, although it came as a reaction to cultural recognition of identities of different ethnic groups. However it can be said that it came as part of “prescription of globalization”. Similar is the case of Chile, Columbia, Republic of Guniea Bassue(1994), Mali (1993), Niger etc.
Incidentally a linkage has been established between democratic space as well as inclusive growth. For example World Bank in one of its reports argue that,
”Decentralization has kept its promise as far as the strengthening of democracy at the national level is concerned, as well as the central government's commitment in favor of rural development. It has thus contributed toward moving away from the bias toward urban areas
92
Schmidt Vivien A. , Democratizing France : The political and administrative history of decentralization ,
University of Massachusetts, Boston , 1991.
93
Kumar Girish, Local Democracy in India: Interpreting Decen tralization , Sage publications, New Delhi, 2006 .
80
in matters of development; to better management of the coordination of integrated rural development projects,
PANCHAYATI RAJ – A HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
Contemporary debates on decentralization has revolved around three important issues: issues of historicity, 92 issues of expanding democratic spaces,93 and finally inclusive growth as well as inclusive politics of social categories.
These debate have over looked certain historical facts – one, it has overlooked the historicity of decentralization particularly in the imagined history of orient, and thereby accept the argument that it is a post-colonial contemporary phenomenon, particularly it belongs to the decade as well as the realm of globalization. The latter is argued on the ground that many developing countries witnessed the process of decentralization either during 1980s or 1990s as part of policy prescription advocated by the global agencies. One can give many examples for such a trend. In Bolivia, for example the trend began during
1994, although it came as a reaction to cultural recognition of identities of different ethnic groups. However it can be said that it came as part of “prescription of globalization”. Similar is the case of Chile, Columbia, Republic of Guniea Bassue(1994), Mali (1993), Niger etc.
Incidentally a linkage has been established between democratic space as well as inclusive growth. For example World Bank in one of its reports argue that,
”Decentralization has kept its promise as far as the strengthening of democracy at the national level is concerned, as well as the central government's commitment in favor of rural development. It has thus contributed toward moving away from the bias toward urban areas
92
Schmidt Vivien A. , Democratizing France : The political and administrative history of decentralization ,
University of Massachusetts, Boston , 1991.
93
Kumar Girish, Local Democracy in India: Interpreting Decen tralization , Sage publications, New Delhi, 2006 .
80
in matters of development; to better management of the coordination of integrated rural development projects,