A New Direction for Institutional Reform in India

This book is set against the backdrop of the crisis of governance that plagues India today. While the bureaucracy is unresponsive, inefficient and has failed in its mandate of implementing developmental policies, judicial activism has emerged as the default institutional alternative to shake off the apathy of executive institutions, perform the task of implementing and often formulating policies. However, such a role of the judiciary is undesirable as it has serious implications inter alia for the quality of governance, the health of the institutional fabric and for democratic values. Instead, some new institutional solutions in the areas of public school education and environmental protection are discussed, based on the ideas of re- invention of government, engaging market institutions in governance and public participation. It is hoped that these solutions will not only lead to better governance but also ultimately improve the quality of institutions themselves.