Students of MA in Community Development and MA in Dispute Resolution who had chosen the elective course Participatory Governance: Field Study were taught by Dr. Rajesh Tandon and Dr. Martha Farrell. They came to India in the month of October 2014 and had an opportunity to undertake a field study of PRIA's various engagements in Sonepat, Haryana & Jaipur, Rajasthan. This gave them the exposure to the workings of decentralised governance in India and the role of Self-Help Groups in encouraging leadership among women in India.
Objectives
To help the students
- Analyse the importance of citizen participation in deepening of democracy
- Understand the characteristics of democratic governance, as it operates at the grass-root
- Discuss means and methods of inclusion and participation of traditionally excluded groups, including women
- Clarify the roles of different stakeholders, especially civil society organisations
Geographical spread
Canada and India
Methodology / Key components
The project was mainly concentrated around capacity building and training.
Key outputs / Deliverables
- Students were able to understand the way the legislature functions in India and the role of the 73rd and 74th CAA in decentralizing governance
- They were also able to better understand the various issues women have to face in being elected representatives in the village panchayat and how embedded patriarchy is and how it impedes the growth of leadership in these women
- The study of self-help groups in the slums of Jaipur helped the students understand how leadership can also grow out of spaces that are not necessarily political
Year/period
September-December, 2014
Client
University of Victoria
