THE NEW PANCHAYAT RAJ IN KERALA: Reflections on its institutionalization and developmental record

Abstract

The Kerala experience in the institutionalization of the new panchayat raj as well as its novel idea of ‘people’s planning’ as a means for decentralized development is widely appreciated and acknowledged. This study focuses on the factors that have contributed to the institutionalization of the new panchayat raj and some of its ‘best practices’. Several factors can be identified in the success of Kerala in establishing and subsequently institutionalizing a system of decentralized governance. Among them the foremost is the presence of a vibrant public sphere for which the foundations were laid during the freedom movement which in the state was radicalized into a proletarian movement for economic and social emancipation. What imparted the Kerala context a distinctive character was the prior existence of strong people’s organizations that not only mobilized the people across the state but also developed models and experiments in decentralized development. By the end of the 1930s itself Kerala’s public sphere witnessed the emergence of many people’s organizations and movements such as the workers’ organizations, village library movement, teachers’ and writers’ organizations not to speak of the overarching political movements. This background enabled the creation of a critical mass of organic individuals that paved the way for new movements such as the people’s science, movements of marginalised sections such as fish workers, dalits and adivasis in the subsequent period. Despite enabling political and socio-economic conditions successful experiments in decentralization have been marked by the creative leadership roles of select individuals. The lesson that one is tempted to draw from the best practices is the critical role of leadership and commitment. However, the counter forces, both within Kerala as well as the country at large, to the new structure for governance and development are also at work and the challenges ahead could be stronger if the forces of neo liberalism and its concomitant globalization gain further strength