Making Bureaucracy Work: Norms, Education and Public Service Delivery in Rural India

Across the world, countries have adopted policies for universal primary education. Yet, little is known about when and how these policies are implemented. Making Bureaucracy Work investigates the remarkable variation in primary schooling in the least likely setting - of rural India. Through a multi-level comparative analysis of four Indian states, and more than two years of ethnographic field research, Mangla opens the ‘black box’ of Indian bureaucracy. Weaving together interviews, focus group discussions and participant observation, he shows that bureaucracies subject to the same formal institutions have very different informal norms, which generate varied implementation patterns and outcomes for citizens. While some agencies operate in a legalistic manner and achieve compliance with policy rules, others engage in deliberation and encourage flexible problem-solving with local communities, thereby enhancing the quality of services. This study reveals how bureaucratic norms interact with social inequalities, illuminating the possibilities and obstacles for bureaucracy to promote inclusive development.