Lessons in State Capacity from Delhi's Schools

By: Yamini Aiyar

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Synopsis: What will it take to build high-performing, purpose-oriented public sector organizations in India? In answering this question, the voices of India's frontline officers--charged with delivering a vast array of public services to citizens--are dismissed all too quickly. Public debates on the Indian state generally view them as corrupt, apathetic, incompetent, and in urgent need of disciplining. By training her focus on these voices, Aiyar reveals the complex ways in which bureaucratic hierarchies, processes, and belief systems shape state capacity. This book examines an ambitious effort to improve the quality of government schools, particularly their ability to equip students with foundational literacy and numeracy, in the city-state of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Through the trials and tribulations of educational personnel, bureaucrats, and reform champions, Aiyar captures the sites of resistance, distortion, and adoption of reform ideas. Understanding these dynamics lies at the heart of the challenge of building high-performing public sector organizations and improving state capacity.