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The anatomy of failure : an ethnography of a randomized trial to deepen democracy in rural India

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  • Ananthpur, Kripa
  • Malik, Kabir
  • Rao, Vijayendra

Abstract

Programs that induce citizen participation to improve the quality of government at the local level are the subjects of large amounts of funding and intense debate. This paper combines a randomized control trial of a citizenship training and facilitation program in rural India, with an in-depth, four-year ethnography of the intervention to understand the underlying mechanisms of change. The quantitative data show no impact from the intervention. Household and village survey data from 100 treatment and 100 control villages show considerable improvement across a wide variety of governance and participation indicators over time, but the differences in the changes between treatment and control villages are not statistically significant. The detailed qualitative data from a 10 percent subsample allow us to unpack the reasons why the intervention"failed,"highlighting the role of variations in the quality of facilitation, lack of top-down support, and difficulties with confronting the stubborn challenge of persistent inequality. However, the qualitative investigation also uncovered subtle treatment effects that are difficult to observe in structured surveys. The paper thus demonstrates that a concerted effort to use"thick description"to uncover the process of change using careful and detailed qualitative work can add value to standard impact evaluations.

Suggested Citation

  • Ananthpur, Kripa & Malik, Kabir & Rao, Vijayendra, 2014. "The anatomy of failure : an ethnography of a randomized trial to deepen democracy in rural India," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6958, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:6958
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Patricia J. Rogers & Michael Woolcock, 2023. "Process and Implementation Evaluations: A Primer," CID Working Papers 433, Center for International Development at Harvard University.
    3. Srikrishna Ayyangar & Sham N. Kashyap & Prateeti Prasad & Rishikesh B.S., 2020. "School Choice and Implementation: Survey Evidence Across Indian States," Studies in Indian Politics, , vol. 8(2), pages 170-185, December.
    4. Anindya Bhattacharya & Anirban Kar & Sunil Kumar & Alita Nandi, 2018. "Patronage and power in rural India: a study based on interaction networks," Discussion Papers 18/19, Department of Economics, University of York.
    5. Vijayendra Rao, 2023. "Can Economics Become More Reflexive? Exploring the Potential of Mixed Methods," Springer Books, in: Ashwini Deshpande (ed.), Handbook on Economics of Discrimination and Affirmative Action, chapter 14, pages 323-349, Springer.
    6. Anindya Bhattacharya & Anirban Kar & Alita Nandi, 2016. "Local institutional structure and clientelistic access to employment: the case of MGNREGS in three states of India," Working papers 269, Centre for Development Economics, Delhi School of Economics.
    7. Rao, Vijayendra, 2020. "Evidence-based development needs a diversity of tools, with a bottom-up process of “embedded” dialogue," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 127(C).
    8. Mendoza Alcantara, Alejandra & Woolcock, Michael, 2014. "Integrating qualitative methods into investment climate impact evaluations," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7145, The World Bank.
    9. Mehak Majeed & Saeed Owais Mushtaq & Zahid Gulzar Rather, 2022. "The Complementarity Between the Formal and Informal Sub-sectors of the Indian Industry," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 65(4), pages 981-1006, December.
    10. Mansuri, Ghazala & Palaniswamy, Nethra & Rao, Vijayendra & Shrestha, Slesh A., 2023. "Money versus Kudos: The impact of incentivizing local politicians in India," Journal of Public Economics, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    11. Kumar, Tanu & Post, Alison E. & Ray, Isha, 2018. "Flows, leaks and blockages in informational interventions: A field experimental study of Bangalore's water sector," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 149-160.
    12. Klick, Matthew T., 2016. "The Effect of State–Local Complementarity and Local Governance on Development: A Comparative Analysis from Post-War Guatemala," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 1-13.

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    Keywords

    Social Accountability; Housing&Human Habitats; Poverty Monitoring&Analysis; Governance Indicators; Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures;
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