The book under review opens with a con- ceptual framework for understanding local governance as it flows through the regions of good governance, decentralization and reforms in India. He has reiterated the fact that there is a vital need to shift the focus from ‘government’ to ‘governance’, there-by, emphasizing decentralization rather than delegation. The author talks about Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of creating economically and politically self-reliant networks of villages to meet the basic needs of the people. He stressed on increasing the productivity of the local resources to escalate export and reduce their dependence on import. A very significant issue of the dominance of the Centre and the State Government, thereby, reducing their role as a secondary organization, is highlighted.
July 2014, volume 38, No 7