This book discusses the elite capture taking place in the development programmes implemented through Grama Panchayats (GPs), the lowest tier in the rural local self-government structure in India. Inclusive growth being the cherished goal of all the developing countries, including India, the book...

Part 1. The Setting. Decentralized governance and development in India : An introduction -- Seeing PRIs in India and their History from a Gandhian perspective -- The evolution of devolution -- Part 2. Dimensions of Decentralization. Political decentralization : Role of political parties from...