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, referredto here as informal local governance institutions (ILGIs), are found in manyparts of rural India. However, little isknown about them apart from sensational news reports, and there is often a bigdifference between these stories and reality. Research from the MadrasInstitute of Development Studies, India looks at ILGIs andtheir role in local governance.

Local governance organisationsat the village level in rural India are usually structuredaround individual caste groups. The ILGI is an assembly of all these casteorganisations and has jurisdiction over the whole village. Although commonlyseen as oppressive and failing to keep up with modern political change, theresearch shows that ILGIs are actually quite progressive.

Although ILGIsvary between different parts of India, there are some commonfeatures:

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

Some ILGIsare beginning to include new members because of their political connections, theireducation and their ability to interact with government officials. Thisreflects the rising number of government rural development programmes, which haveincreased the value and power of intermediaries acting between the village andpoliticians and bureaucrats. ILGIs play an important role in representingvillage issues to local government institutions, because they are active atvillage levels, whereas formal governance systems are based on groups ofvillages.

ILGIs are usually inter-casteinstitutions and play an important role in representing different castes.Helping with negotiation and compromise in village disputes are more commonprocedures than enforcing rules and handing out punishments. ILGIs also providefinancial and legal support to people in distress, and can provide considerableresources for development projects.

ILGIs in India are neither wholly generousnor totally oppressive. They can reflect the social tensions of rural India, but they areconstantly working to negotiate and manage these tensions. Furthermore, theirinfluence 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 governancesystems must be better understood to support democratic local governance thatrepresents the views of all villagers and all castes.
• Improved understanding of how ILGIs work wouldincrease the capacity of government agencies, political parties and socialmovements to work alongside their effective local authority.

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