Search Results for: paisa study
Whose Right to Education?: Building Schools and Rewarding Voters in Tamil Nadu
How do politicians in democratic settings influence the allocation of public goods? This is a question that gets right to the heart of the accountability debate. Bureaucracies often set up geographic or need-based norms for basic services such as education, health, and sanitation. Yet it is perhaps India’s worst-kept secret that the de facto and … Continue reading "Whose Right to Education?: Building Schools and Rewarding Voters in Tamil Nadu"
On Data, and its Relationship with Accountability and Transparency
Notions of transparency and accountability have been evolving since late 1980s. It was advocated that people must be given information about budgets, especially details of heads where money was allocated and how it was spent. This would aid in enforcing transparency, accountability and participation. In the late 1990s, as cities developed, pressure on urban infrastructure … Continue reading "On Data, and its Relationship with Accountability and Transparency"
Teachers: Overpaid or Overburdened?
I recently had the opportunity to interview 16 teachers from 7 schools across 2 districts in Uttarakhand as part of a study being conducted by J-PAL, MIT aimed at understanding the institutional dynamics of the Read India programme – an accelerated learning programme launched by the NGO Pratham. We wanted to know what teachers thought … Continue reading "Teachers: Overpaid or Overburdened?"
Right to Information: File Notings In, Amendments Out!
US Supreme Court Justice, Louis Brandeis famously said “sunshine is the best disinfectant”. Right to Information laws or “sunshine” laws, by opening up government decision-making to public scrutiny, bring a much needed dose of sunshine to the otherwise opaque dealings of governments. The last decade has seen an explosion of information laws around the world … Continue reading "Right to Information: File Notings In, Amendments Out!"
Tackling corruption: is the infrastructure in place?
Speaking at the biennial conference of the CBI and State Anti-Corruption Bureaus, the Indian Prime Minister reflected on the ‘malaise of corruption’ that is ‘sapping our efforts to march ahead as a nation’. He spoke about the urgent need for tackling corruption immediately and effectively, and urged anti-corruption agencies to ‘make the cost of corruption … Continue reading "Tackling corruption: is the infrastructure in place?"