School Provision, the Capacity to Aspire, and the State of Popular Representation in West Bengal

Abstract

The State of West Bengal in India has become a case study for an increasing number of researchers looking to study popular representation in action. The devolved system of local government has been assessed for its capacity to be more effective, more efficient, and, not least, more equitable in service delivery and promotion of economic development. Opinions vary and range from emphasising the pro-poor outcomes that have been achieved in the agrarian economy to the negative consequences of a new political party that dominates local society.¹ Among development agencies, the assessment is generally positive, with an increasing willingness to channel programs and resources through local representative government, the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs). However, have citizens retained political agency in this scenario of local governance or, to return to Pitkin’s conceptualisation of representation, is it a case of authorisation without accountability^?