The media and the republic

Self-governance in tribal villages is not a threat to national sovereignty

Give more power to local bodies

Elected democracy: democratic enough?

Global trends reveal that people are no longer finding this popular governance mechanism effective

At last in wonderland

Kerala's decentralisation programme is an example of the difference a strong civil society can make

Bill must ensure power to the people

The political debate on the Panchayati Raj and Nagarpalika bills does not address the issue of giving power to the people so they can take …

Second disempowerment

Tribals have lost their decision-making power twice; first to the state then to the Maoists

Nagaland tribal bodies are protesting reservation for women in local bodies

Women’s rights activists say that it shows the unwillingness of tribal bodies to share power

You can be sued for your social media posts

Copyright issues related to social media posts are a concern as platforms are shutting down accounts without notice

Boss, the real beehive!

Rahul Gandhi’s idea of governance needs fresh focus. How about more autonomy to nearly 240,000 panchayats?

Punjab’s panchayat flip-flop

State considers reverting to direct polls, court raps it for taking away right to recall sarpanch

Panchayati bonanza

13th Finance Commission puts money in the hands of local governments

Self-help

Democracy "of the people, by the people and for the people". Madhya Pradesh takes the lead

Central concerns

In a bid to give more fiscal autonomy to states, the Centre in the last budget gave them a higher share in Union tax receipts. Has this helped …

Panchayat minister wants control of urban local bodies

Walmart and the other America

Exposing the rhetoric behind campaign for consumer rights

The national local elections

Bangladesh loses an opportunity to revive its most important local government—upazilla parishad—as competing national parties turn …

The road ahead

India with its deplorable rural roads can learn a lesson from Madagascar, which has successfully implemented a decentralised system of …

The many-straw revolution

The curious case of panchayats in Delhi

The Nagar Swaraj Bill will usher in decentralised governance in the city state, but what happened to rural panchayats?

Why only panchayats?

Other local associations can also manage watersheds effectively

Streamlining autonomy

Panchayati raj ministry suggests amendments to local governance in north-eastern states

Karnataka legislature amends state Panchayati Raj Act

Machiavellian moves

Rajasthan's decision to bar illiterate people from contesting elections to panchayats is one more example of a state government dominating …

The next challenge

Bureaucrats pose a threat to the process

The impact

Kerala's income growth rate has increased, among several other positive signs