Making Decentralisation Work: A Comparative Ethnographic Analysis of Forest Conservation and Village Governance in West Bengal, India
The literature on forest conservation lacks comparative analyses of decentralisation across different sectors to understand their relative advantages and limitations. This article adopts an ethnographic approach to compare the functioning of two decentralised village-level institutions in the state...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
2021-01-01
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| Series: | Conservation & Society |
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| Online Access: | http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2021;volume=19;issue=4;spage=205;epage=217;aulast=Datta |
| _version_ | 1818927563377999872 |
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| author | Sumana Datta |
| author_facet | Sumana Datta |
| author_sort | Sumana Datta |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The literature on forest conservation lacks comparative analyses of decentralisation across different sectors to understand their relative advantages and limitations. This article adopts an ethnographic approach to compare the functioning of two decentralised village-level institutions in the state of West Bengal, India: the forest protection committees created under joint forest management and the gram panchayat, th!
e lowest tier of the panchayati raj institution. The comparative analysis shows that despite their decentralised structure, the village forest protection committees have very little discretionary power relative to the powers exercised by gram panchayats. Gram panchayats have been effective in developing an inclusive and transparent decentralised governance system which retains the support of diverse interest groups within communities and other layers of the state. The study shows that style of decentralisation under joint forest management in West Bengal has been alienating forest-based communities from conservation because their voices remain symbolic in local, state, and national-level policy decisions. The study provides new theoretical and methodological insights for analysing decentralisation by underscoring the importance of criteria such as discretionary power for local decision-making and accountability; local bureaucratic and infrastructure support; and designated physical space in the everyday working of decentralised governance at the village level. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T03:15:00Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0e350b4279114549a8ebd3b7d7d1e169 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0972-4923 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T03:15:00Z |
| publishDate | 2021-01-01 |
| publisher | Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation & Society |
| spelling | doaj.art-0e350b4279114549a8ebd3b7d7d1e1692022-12-21T19:55:22ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsConservation & Society0972-49232021-01-0119420521710.4103/cs.cs_20_81Making Decentralisation Work: A Comparative Ethnographic Analysis of Forest Conservation and Village Governance in West Bengal, IndiaSumana DattaThe literature on forest conservation lacks comparative analyses of decentralisation across different sectors to understand their relative advantages and limitations. This article adopts an ethnographic approach to compare the functioning of two decentralised village-level institutions in the state of West Bengal, India: the forest protection committees created under joint forest management and the gram panchayat, th! e lowest tier of the panchayati raj institution. The comparative analysis shows that despite their decentralised structure, the village forest protection committees have very little discretionary power relative to the powers exercised by gram panchayats. Gram panchayats have been effective in developing an inclusive and transparent decentralised governance system which retains the support of diverse interest groups within communities and other layers of the state. The study shows that style of decentralisation under joint forest management in West Bengal has been alienating forest-based communities from conservation because their voices remain symbolic in local, state, and national-level policy decisions. The study provides new theoretical and methodological insights for analysing decentralisation by underscoring the importance of criteria such as discretionary power for local decision-making and accountability; local bureaucratic and infrastructure support; and designated physical space in the everyday working of decentralised governance at the village level.http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2021;volume=19;issue=4;spage=205;epage=217;aulast=Dattadecentralisationjoint forest managementgram panchayatdevolution of powerwest bengalindia |
| spellingShingle | Sumana Datta Making Decentralisation Work: A Comparative Ethnographic Analysis of Forest Conservation and Village Governance in West Bengal, India Conservation & Society decentralisation joint forest management gram panchayat devolution of power west bengal india |
| title | Making Decentralisation Work: A Comparative Ethnographic Analysis of Forest Conservation and Village Governance in West Bengal, India |
| title_full | Making Decentralisation Work: A Comparative Ethnographic Analysis of Forest Conservation and Village Governance in West Bengal, India |
| title_fullStr | Making Decentralisation Work: A Comparative Ethnographic Analysis of Forest Conservation and Village Governance in West Bengal, India |
| title_full_unstemmed | Making Decentralisation Work: A Comparative Ethnographic Analysis of Forest Conservation and Village Governance in West Bengal, India |
| title_short | Making Decentralisation Work: A Comparative Ethnographic Analysis of Forest Conservation and Village Governance in West Bengal, India |
| title_sort | making decentralisation work a comparative ethnographic analysis of forest conservation and village governance in west bengal india |
| topic | decentralisation joint forest management gram panchayat devolution of power west bengal india |
| url | http://www.conservationandsociety.org/article.asp?issn=0972-4923;year=2021;volume=19;issue=4;spage=205;epage=217;aulast=Datta |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sumanadatta makingdecentralisationworkacomparativeethnographicanalysisofforestconservationandvillagegovernanceinwestbengalindia |