Publication

This paper discusses the interface between local government and local people in Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Madhya Pradesh (MP), in India. It argues that although the AP government has not devolved power to the expected extent, yet, its populist approach to certain forms of poverty reduction has empowered the poor in ways that the more ambitious decentralization agenda in MP has not. The author discusses a series of factors and argues in particular that the strong performance of programs aimed at subsidizing rice and providing credit to women is part of the state government’s political strategy of maintaining electoral support.