Application of organisation development principles in public institutions necessarily requires an exhaustive understanding of the legal framework in which the institution is placed. It helps gain better appreciation of the opportunities, challenges as well as boundaries to be considered while designing the change processes.
For e.g., in the case of rural local governance, there are many externalities which impact functioning of Gram Panchayats: Is there an enabling legal devolution to the Panchayati Raj Institutions by the State Government? Even in the presence of enabling legal mandate, does the State administration provide space to the panchayats to function as institutions of local self government, or are the panchayats primarily implementation arms of the State? Is there an aware citizenry which performs its role as an oversight body, through various mechanisms instituted in the Panchayat Raj Acts, such as Gram Sabhas, Beneficiary committees etc.? Do the panchayats have access to information to aid their decision-making?
Overview of our approach to analyse legal framework related to rural local governance:
