Drawing on empirical data from four gram panchayas in Orissa the paper examines the 'representation' of elected representatives-more particularly those of disadvantaged categories-by exploring their participation in the governance process, responsiveness towards the interst of their...

Contemporary India is witnessing a wide number of micro-level social movements struggling against industrialisation, big dams and other similar development projects. This paper looks at the tribal movement against the mining industry in Kucheipadar village of Rayagad district in Orissa. The...

The crucial element in a disaster is the human component. In this paper, this human factor is discussed with reference to a group’s vulnerability, which is a concomitant of certain important attributes such as the occupation/livelihood of a group. However, when a community or a group manages...

This paper examines the impact of governance reforms on efficiency, equity and service delivery in order to identifying the factors resp onsible for the success/failure of reforms in the power sector in Orissa. The paper is divided into five sections. The first section deals with the...

The paper explores the processes and factors that led to the emergence of Joint Forest Management in Orissa and its functioning in the State. The changes in forest policies and regulations are analysed in terms of first, its impact on the livelihood of the people and the ‘quantity’ and...