Political Socialization In Rural West Bengal PDF Download

As the longest surviving, democratically elected communist regime in the world, the Left Front government in West Bengal has drawn considerable attention. Development, Devolution, and Democracy critically examines the achievements of the government in the areas of land reforms, rural development, devolution of administration to the grass-roots level, and above all in ensuring the democratic participation of the poorest classes. Basing his study on primary field research, author G. K. Lieten analyzes the differing composition of village councils in terms of caste, class, gender, and the ability of the panchayats to mediate between an interventionist state and the goal of grass-roots empowerment. Lieten observes that political maturity and acumen, embodied in class-based organizations, has played a key role in assisting development initiatives to percolate through to the villages. The study also shows how the West Bengal government has not only assisted agrarian development but has done so with a strong pro-poor orientation. With the current emphasis on decentralized and grass-roots-level governance, this detailed and useful case study will interest administrators, politicians, economists, planners, sociologists, and political scientists as well as professionals and researchers in rural development.