Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
992567 | World Development | 2006 | 20 Pages |
Abstract
SummaryDemocratic decentralization and community participation often stand at the center of an agenda of “good governance” that aims to reduce corruption and increase the state’s accountability to its citizens. However, this paper suggests based on empirical studies on the Employment Assurance Scheme in rural West Bengal that the strength of upward accountability (especially to political parties) is as crucial as downward accountability to communities. When these vertical accountabilities are weak, horizontal accountability structures between local civil society and officials can mutate into networks of corruption in which “community” actors become accomplices or primary agents.
Related Topics
Social Sciences and Humanities
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Economics and Econometrics
Authors
René Véron, Glyn Williams, Stuart Corbridge, Manoj Srivastava,