Social Institutions and Development Challenges

Brown Book Publications, New Delhi, 2019

The theme social issue is hardly new. Social issues include the unsolved problems, the unanswered questions in human affairs, and the situations of conflict in society. It indicates the potential and actual changes that are occurring in the social world (McLendon, J.C., 1953). It is arise when the goals, the structures, and the processes of communities combine or conflict in ways that threaten the survival, the wellbeing or the process of the group or its members (Ochoa, A. and Manson, G., 1972). Enhancement of human welfare is the most important function of a modern welfare government and for performing this function; it is required to make policies for the masses. However, for measuring the progress made in enhancing development in the economy, specific indicators are required. Whether these indicators truly reflect the real economic scenario is a matter to be further analysed (Behera, D.K., 2016). All over the developing countries, there is continuous and sustained endeavour to uplift the economic and social welfare of the communities through planned development strategies. Development is a very complex concept having a wide range of meaning. In context of the country, development is an instrument of continuous changes in the socio-economic environment which is ultimately responsible for cultural transformation of the group of people, constituting a nation (Sen, B. 1984). The prime objective of development is continuous improvement of the quality of human life and knowledge. Historically, economic growth forms the nucleus of all development. Social changes and cultural transformation are largely influenced by the products of economic development. Socio-economic development is a function of education and both are inter-dependent (Bhattacharya, 1972). In this book, an attempt is made to explore different aspects of social and economic development in India.

Social Policy in a Development Context, 2004

The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) is an autonomous agency engaging in multidisciplinary research on the social dimensions of contemporary problems affecting development. Its work is guided by the conviction that, for effective development policies to be formulated, an understanding of the social and political context is crucial. The Institute attempts to provide governments, development agencies, grassroots organizations and scholars with a better understanding of how development policies and processes of economic, social and environmental change affect different social groups. Working through an extensive network of national research centres, UNRISD aims to promote original research and strengthen research capacity in developing countries.

Like most of the modern nation-states, India too has adopted the model of decentralisation to realise the principles of equality, fraternity and prosperity (see Crook and Manor 1998: 1). At the heart of this socio-political development there are many multifaceted yet interconnected themes and issues. This paper is primarily concerned with one of them: decentralisation brings about a system of governance that protects and facilitates human rights, particularly the rights of weaker and marginalised groups such as Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women. By contextualising the process of decentralisation in the various initiatives of the state, primarily the 73 rd Constitutional Amendment, this paper, on the basis of important studies and reports, tries to reflect on the human rights of marginalised groups against the background of decentralised local governance, namely, the Panchayati Raj system. In so doing, it argues for a serious and determined intervention of the institutions of civil society -non-government organisations and competitive political parties -in the process of decentralisation to make the provisions of 73 rd Amendment, particularly the ones related with human rights of weaker and marginalised sections of our society, a ground reality.

2005

Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. Applications for permission to reproduce or translate all or parts of this publication should be made to: Head of Publications

2006

Governance is a concept comprising of complex mechanisms, processes, institutions and relationships through which citizens and groups articulate their interests, exercise their rights and mediate their differences. It is a more expansive term than government because it encompasses the activities of a wide range of groups as well as their relationships in the polity and society. In most of the developing world, the debate about governance is taking place within the context of rapid urbanisation, combined with political and economic changes. These changes typically involve structural adjustment, deregulation of the economy and privatisation of public assets. The Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) was aimed at downsizing the role of the state in planned development in order to promote competitive market economies. Those who stood to lose from structural adjustment often included bureaucracy (with the downsizing of civil service accompanied by loss of power and perks), public sector workers (through privatisation and job losses) and political party bosses (due to loss of influence and power base). In the new dispensation, the poor majority also lost a great deal because of the ensuring sharp increases in the prices of basic commodities along with escalating medical and educational costs.

We quite often read about different concerns of socio-economic development like poverty, unemployment, development of roads and bridges and facilities like hospitals, educational institutions in newspapers, magazines and other periodicals. During elections in particular these are discussed by political leaders, political parties, electorates and media. Whenever there are discussions on development and particularly on socio-economic development, the issue of empowerment of disadvantaged groups in our society is referred to. You may have also come across these terms in your study materials or somewhere else. What do these terms mean? Why and how should we understand the relationships between socio-economic development and empowerment of disadvantaged groups? The present lesson will make an attempt to discuss these issues.

"The concept of civil society in India, (even as an attempt to establish civility) which gained public attention in the 1980s, was essentially seen as the opposite of despotism. Since then, it seems that it is not the ‘State’ but the ‘Society’ that has emerged as the driving wheel of the political history of India. Why has this shift occurred in the late 1980s in Indian political scenario? The particular line of thinking that the author intends to pursue in this paper is shared by some other social scientists who have tried to define what is new in the new social movements: they are “the main route to shifting political action in civil society from the current condition of mainly isolated, local initiatives, easily ignored by the power structure and vulnerable to manipulation and co-option. The document explores the various socio-economic factors, which were mainly the contributing factors for the civil societal intervention in the mid 1970s in India. The author also presents a case study, which makes a modest attempt to critically appraise the role of civil society in contemporary governance debate in India, in general, by studying the Mazdoor Kiasn Shakti Sangathan (MKSS), Rajasthan, in particular."