Social audits and social sciences
Summary:
1. Social audit through NGOs is promising to be an effective tool for eliminating grass-root corruption in India.
2. India under-funds its social sciences programs in universities. Expanding Govt. support for the universities could have the beneficial effect of furthering social audits and thereby improving our governance.
Post
Here is an account of India's inefficient civil services. It makes for an interesting read. On the whole it presents a picture we know well - political interference and corruption plague India's administration.
Though the article calls it "a band-aid on a corpse", technology can play an important role in eliminating corruption and providing quality services to citizens. E-seva centres are but one example of how citizens can benefit from technology. Our police forces require immediate upgradation in terms of its technology usage, given the danger to internal security from various sources.
Given this, the lack of adequate budgetary provisions for technology upgradation in administration is saddening.
The article also points out how social audits help make the administration accountable to the citizens. Social audits are audits of government documents by social organizations. In the implementation of welfare programmes like National Rural Employement Guarantee Scheme, social audits ensure that the beneficiary list rolls are not fudged, that the payments to beneficiaries are adhering to statutory norms etc. NREGS, according to some social audits, has been effective in delivering its goods to the intended target beneficiaries. And, this scheme has been successful because of social audits.
Hence, there is a need to strengthen the system of social audits of welfare programmes in India. Clearly, citizens at the grass-roots lack adequate awareness about their rights and Government obligations to conduct social audits. Can we rely on the handful of NGOs to conduct social audits, popularize discrepancies and ensure redressal where necessary? Clearly, no.
Social audits, to be meaningful, should be conducted by the civil society independent of the Govt. and impartial to political parties. Hence Govt. funding NGOs to incentivise conducting social audits is a warped idea, and may not succeed.
However, if the Govt. chooses to fund universities and research programmes with a social audit component, it could have multiple benefits. Our universities are under-funded, research opportunities are scarce, especially in social sciences like Public Administration, Sociology, Anthropology etc. Enhanced Govt. funding to universities will first give a fillip to studies in these fields, and bring out research publications addressing issues that are uniquely Indian. Peer-reviewed publications and prestige of universities would deter any major manipulation of data from social audits.
Recently, the Govt. announced that it would set up multiple Central Universities in the country to address the lack of higher education infrastructure in the country. It is a laudable move, but much more needs to be done, and we need to fund universities to unleash the 'academic spirit' so dormant in our country.
Hence, I make a case for clubbing social audits and social science funding in India.
1. Social audit through NGOs is promising to be an effective tool for eliminating grass-root corruption in India.
2. India under-funds its social sciences programs in universities. Expanding Govt. support for the universities could have the beneficial effect of furthering social audits and thereby improving our governance.
Post
Here is an account of India's inefficient civil services. It makes for an interesting read. On the whole it presents a picture we know well - political interference and corruption plague India's administration.
Though the article calls it "a band-aid on a corpse", technology can play an important role in eliminating corruption and providing quality services to citizens. E-seva centres are but one example of how citizens can benefit from technology. Our police forces require immediate upgradation in terms of its technology usage, given the danger to internal security from various sources.
Given this, the lack of adequate budgetary provisions for technology upgradation in administration is saddening.
The article also points out how social audits help make the administration accountable to the citizens. Social audits are audits of government documents by social organizations. In the implementation of welfare programmes like National Rural Employement Guarantee Scheme, social audits ensure that the beneficiary list rolls are not fudged, that the payments to beneficiaries are adhering to statutory norms etc. NREGS, according to some social audits, has been effective in delivering its goods to the intended target beneficiaries. And, this scheme has been successful because of social audits.
Hence, there is a need to strengthen the system of social audits of welfare programmes in India. Clearly, citizens at the grass-roots lack adequate awareness about their rights and Government obligations to conduct social audits. Can we rely on the handful of NGOs to conduct social audits, popularize discrepancies and ensure redressal where necessary? Clearly, no.
Social audits, to be meaningful, should be conducted by the civil society independent of the Govt. and impartial to political parties. Hence Govt. funding NGOs to incentivise conducting social audits is a warped idea, and may not succeed.
However, if the Govt. chooses to fund universities and research programmes with a social audit component, it could have multiple benefits. Our universities are under-funded, research opportunities are scarce, especially in social sciences like Public Administration, Sociology, Anthropology etc. Enhanced Govt. funding to universities will first give a fillip to studies in these fields, and bring out research publications addressing issues that are uniquely Indian. Peer-reviewed publications and prestige of universities would deter any major manipulation of data from social audits.
Recently, the Govt. announced that it would set up multiple Central Universities in the country to address the lack of higher education infrastructure in the country. It is a laudable move, but much more needs to be done, and we need to fund universities to unleash the 'academic spirit' so dormant in our country.
Hence, I make a case for clubbing social audits and social science funding in India.
Labels: India, social audit
posted by Anand at 11:07 AM
2 Comments:
Funding NGO's that do social work is not that bad an idea as long as it is an open competition to get the funding and the parties involved can show that the investment is not wasted. This is akin to the American way of disbursing government money and might work. Totally agree about upgrading universities and education..
If the Govt. can do things in a transperant way, why would we require social audits? :)
But, Indian Govt. funds NGOs through the Central Social Welfare Board, for example, and oversees operations. The situation isn't ideal though.
Post a Comment
<< Home