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Transparency, Accountability and Participation through Social Audit: Case of MGNREGA in Sikkim, India

Author

Listed:
  • Feba Varghese

    (Centre for Technology Alternatives in Rural Areas)

  • N C Narayanan

    (IIT Bombay)

  • S B Agnihotri

    (IIT Bombay)

  • Girija Godbole

    (IIT Bombay)

Abstract

Transparency, accountability and participation (TAP) are some essential elements for ensuring democratic governance. Social audit is an operational instrument to reduce corruption by empowering people to scrutinize public expenses, detect corruption, and ensure accountability. Social audit is one of the robust element of MGNREGS (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme) in India as they work through the Panchayat, and stimulate the public to participate with a sense of communal accountability. At the state level even five years after the issue of operational guidelines, we witness wide variations in the quality of social audits. Different states have adopted their own models and while some of them are successful, some of the states have still not set up and some are in the process of setting up an independent social audit unit. The Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) model of social audit in the state of Sikkim which is not widely discussed in literature is the focus of the study. This research attempts to study the efficacy of Social audit as a tool to bring Transparency, Accountability and Participation in MGNREGA taking the case of Sikkim.

Suggested Citation

  • Feba Varghese & N C Narayanan & S B Agnihotri & Girija Godbole, 2019. "Transparency, Accountability and Participation through Social Audit: Case of MGNREGA in Sikkim, India," Proceedings of the 13th International RAIS Conference, June 10-11, 2019 015FV, Research Association for Interdisciplinary Studies.
    • Handle: RePEc:smo:dpaper:015fv
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Afridi, Farzana & Iversen, Vegard, 2014. "Social Audits and MGNREGA Delivery: Lessons from Andhra Pradesh," India Policy Forum, National Council of Applied Economic Research, vol. 10(1), pages 297-341.
    2. repec:nca:ncaerj:v:10:y:2014:i:1:p:297-341 is not listed on IDEAS
    3. Olken, Benjamin A., 2009. "Corruption perceptions vs. corruption reality," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(7-8), pages 950-964, August.
    4. Nidhi Vij, 2011. "Collaborative Governance: Analysing Social Audits in MGNREGA in India," IDS Bulletin, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 42(6), pages 28-34, November.
    5. Agarwal, Bina, 2001. "Participatory Exclusions, Community Forestry, and Gender: An Analysis for South Asia and a Conceptual Framework," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 29(10), pages 1623-1648, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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