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Formal and informal governance in rural India

There are several reports of atrocities committed by village councils against low-caste people and women in India. These councils often deal out harsh punishments to villagers who disobey recognised social behaviour, especially those who defy caste boundaries. Punishments include forcing people out of villages and even death sentences.

The village councils, referred to here as informal local governance institutions (ILGIs), are found in many parts of rural India. However, little is known about them apart from sensational news reports, and there is often a big difference between these stories and reality. Research from the Madras Institute of Development Studies, India looks at ILGIs and their role in local governance.

Local governance organisations at the village level in rural India are usually structured around individual caste groups. The ILGI is an assembly of all these caste organisations and has jurisdiction over the whole village. Although commonly seen as oppressive and failing to keep up with modern political change, the research shows that ILGIs are actually quite progressive.

Although ILGIs vary between different parts of India, there are some common features:

all ILGIs have several members, who have the right and duty to discuss, debate and decide village issues
all members are men
there is a core membership, representing the leaders of major caste groups in the village.

Some ILGIs are beginning to include new members because of their political connections, their education and their ability to interact with government officials. This reflects the rising number of government rural development programmes, which have increased the value and power of intermediaries acting between the village and politicians and bureaucrats. ILGIs play an important role in representing village issues to local government institutions, because they are active at village levels, whereas formal governance systems are based on groups of villages.

ILGIs are usually inter-caste institutions and play an important role in representing different castes. Helping with negotiation and compromise in village disputes are more common procedures than enforcing rules and handing out punishments. ILGIs also provide financial and legal support to people in distress, and can provide considerable resources for development projects.

ILGIs in India are neither wholly generous nor totally oppressive. They can reflect the social tensions of rural India, but they are constantly working to negotiate and manage these tensions. Furthermore, their influence at local government levels has implications for rural governance policies. Further research can help ILGIs to build on this role:

The ways in which ILGIs interact with local governance systems must be better understood to support democratic local governance that represents the views of all villagers and all castes.
Improved understanding of how ILGIs work would increase the capacity of government agencies, political parties and social movements to work alongside their effective local authority.

Ignored by urban populations and by most state agencies, ILGIs have continued to exercise considerable authority and provide useful services in rural areas. Making better use of these advantages would enable Indian governance institutions to help rural populations more effectively and may also improve the public image of ILGIs.

Source(s):
‘Rivalry or Synergy: formal and informal governance in rural India’, IDS Working Paper 22, by Kripa AnanthPur, June 2004 Full document.
‘Interfaces in Local Governance - A Study in Karnataka’, Working Paper No. 187, Centre for the Future State, by K. AnanthPur, MIDS, Chennai Full document.

Funded by: Department for International Development, UK, via the Centre for the Future State

id21 Research Highlight: 20 May 2005

Further Information:
Dr. Kripa Ananthpur
Madras Institute of Development Studies
79, Second Main Road
Gandhinagar
Adyar
Chennai - 600 020
Tamil Nadu
India

Tel: +91 44 2441 2589
Fax: +91 44 2491 0872
Contact the contributor: kripa@mids.ac.in

Madras Institute of Development Studies, India

The Centre for the Future State
Institute of Development Studies
University of Sussex
Brighton
BN1 9RE
UK

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