The state has to respond to the changing socio-economic and environmental conditions, implying that not only does it need to make existing systems and arrangements robust, but also cause systemic changes if necessary. Aspirational levels of the citizens are increasing, and they expect their elected representatives and systems to be responsive, make arrangements functional. A proactive approach from the institutions or agencies of the state thus becomes necessary. At the same time, looking into the factors that affect the interventions is imperative. The present edition delves into different aspects of the above.
Political stability should be logically necessary for economic growth in any country. Gulshan Kumar and Sandeep Kaur investigated the relationship between political stability and economic growth in India during 1996–2021, using autoregressive and tested positive lag models. Their analysis reveals that political stability might not be conducive to growth in India. Some of the observations to this effect have been made by other scholars as well, indicating that there could be other factors too contributing to economic growth.
Political stability, for example, is also dependent on the vibrancy of the institution ‘Executive’, which provides direction to the state in a parliamentary democracy like India. Vikas Tripathi and Rupak Kumar have examined the positions of the President, Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers and their relationships with each other since independence. They have brought out the advantages and pitfalls of both strong and weak executives through their analysis of various governments over the years from Nehru to Modi.
Another important dimension of political stability is the regular conduct of elections. Soon after elections are held, exit polls are in vogue. The divergence in exit poll projections in India recently has brought these polls under scanner. Nathan Marcus Lobow examines the accuracy of exit polls between 2020 and 2022 and one of the solutions that he offers is the need for the methodology used by agencies conducting the exit polls to be available in the public domain.
The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts were enacted to make local governments more effective. Some state governments have gone beyond that and have made education one of the eligibility criteria for contesting elections. Gaurav Joshi, Amit Joshi and Abhishek Kumar Pant have attempted to find out whether educational qualifications indeed enable a local elected representative to perform better. Through their study in 128 Gram Panchayats, conducted in the state of Uttarakhand, they found confirmatory evidence.
Right to Information Act was promulgated to strengthen accountability mechanism and empower the citizens. Renu Singh through her empirical study, conducted in Uttar Pradesh, found that administrative capacities need to be built at the grassroots level, including the basic infrastructure needed for the disposal of the RTI applications.
In the age of artificial intelligence, it is very important that the data, which is being generated at a massive scale, is protected. Srinivas Katkuri examines the provisions enshrined in the Information Technology Act, 2000, amended in 2008 and Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. He suggests legislative, technical and organisational steps to secure the digital landscape and ensure privacy of data.
Indian Railways has a huge infrastructure and plays a very important role in various parts of the country, implying the need for prudent management of the finances. Manjusha Jain has analysed the implications of the implementation of accrual accounting in the Indian Railways. She suggests that this accounting reform would result in enhanced accountability and improved decision-making in the Ministry.
D.C. Nanjunda has explored the desirable factors for effectiveness of the administration of healthcare delivery system in Karnataka, focusing on the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions in managing the rural healthcare system. His findings indicate that there are gaps in the health decentralisation system in the state and lack of enthusiasm among the stakeholders, and that the state has not made effective use of National Rural Health Mission provisions.
Safe drinking water, especially in rural areas, is now being attempted by the Government of India in mission mode. M. Venu Madhav, in his article, explores the role of community engagement in ensuring access to clean water, water provider accountability and water source sustainability. Based on field study findings from two districts in Telangana, he argues that participation through community-based organisations has a high positive correlation with improvement in water governance.
Deaths and injuries due to road accidents are major concerns for policymakers in India. O.P. Mishra argues that the use of technology and proactive policing can be an effective strategy. He demonstrates that the use of three Es—Engineering, Enforcement and Education—in Delhi significantly reduced the numbers on both counts.
Kunal Apastamb has focused his attention on the method of recruitment for civil services. The right man for the right job is a proven dictum. Several committees have examined this for recruitment in civil services in India. The author, through his survey among potential aspirants, has attempted to find out a strategy so that specialists apply for specialist jobs and generalists for generalist jobs. However, this may require reclassification of jobs in government.
Mamtaj Uddin Ahmed, Morshadul Hoque and Zainal Abidin Bin Sanusi have examined the impact of the financial control of the Central government on public service delivery in city corporations in Bangladesh. Using evidence from Chittagong City Corporation, which indicates severe dissatisfaction of the citizens with the service quality, they suggest greater fiscal autonomy to the city corporations.
Besides these articles, there are four Notes: (a) Confusion from Cultural Fusion: Embracing the Significance of Goa’s Unique Blend by Ivo de Noronha, (b) Exploring the Deep Philosophical Roots of Mission Karmayogi by Manish Kumar Tiwary, (c) Literary Geography by Ramesh C. Dhussa and (d) General Elections to the Seventeenth Legislative Assembly of Bihar: A Geographical Review by Shashi Bhushan.
This edition also contains four book reviews. Women in the Civil Services: Gender and Workplace Identities in India authored by Trijita Gonsalves has been reviewed by Inderjeet Singh Sodhi. The second book Right to Information and Official Secrecy authored by Lalit Dadwal has been reviewed by Nittin Siwach and Sewa Singh Dahiya. Manan Dwivedi has reviewed Food Governance in India: Rights, Security and Challenges in the Global Sphere edited by Anjoo Sharan Upadhyaya, Ashild Kolas and Ruchita Beri. Affirmative Action for Economically Weaker Sections and Upper-Castes in Indian Constitutional Law: Content, Judicial Discourse, and Critique written by Asang Wankhede, has been reviewed by Anshu Kumar.
