@techreport{5352aa6eae6642e2a17b72fbddf159b0,
title = "How to make decentralization work? Evidence from a capacity-building intervention in local governance",
abstract = "In recent decades many countries have sought to decentralize the provision of public goods and services, and to some extent also the collection of government revenues. While local governments usually have more information on local needs, they typically have less capacity than higher-level governments and may be prone to elite capture. In this paper we evaluate the impact of a capacity-building training for Panchayat (village) staff in rural India to build skills for the Gram Panchayat Development Plan, a formal planning document drawn up on an annual basis. We do not find that the intervention affected the amount of funds requested in these plans; however, we find some evidence of a shift in focus towards social sector expenditure.",
keywords = "Fiscal federalism, Public goods, Village fiscal planning, Intervention, Gram Panchayat Development Plan",
author = "Kartika Bhatia and Margaret Leighton",
note = "Funding: This research was made possible thanks to funding from the Scottish Funding Council, through the University of St Andrews Restarting Research Funding Scheme (grant number: SEF0-XRR031).",
year = "2022",
month = nov,
day = "30",
language = "English",
series = "School of Economics and Finance Discussion Paper",
publisher = "University of St Andrews",
number = "2206",
type = "WorkingPaper",
institution = "University of St Andrews",
}