Does Education Make Local Elected Officials More Efficient?
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00195561221109078 |
| Published date | 01 March 2023 |
| Date | 01 March 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Does Education Make
Local Elected Officials
More Efficient?
Gaurav Joshi1 and Amit Joshi2
Abstract
In recent past, various Indian States have enacted legislations prescribing mini-
mum educational qualification norms for contesting elections to Panchayati Raj
Institutions (PRIs)—rural self-government bodies—claiming that this would
enhance the effectiveness of these local elected officials. The current study is
an attempt to investigate the conceptual basis for such an assertion through
analysis of existing literature and practices. The study proposes that educational
qualification has a significant direct impact on effectiveness of the elected PRI
representatives. Furthermore, their educational qualification also determines the
extent to which capacity-building training imparted to elected PRI representa-
tives enhances their effectiveness as elected officials. Thus, educational qualifica-
tion has been identified as both an independent/predictor variable as well as a
Moderator.
Keywords
Panchayati Raj Institutions, elected PRI representatives, educational qualication,
capacity-building training, effectiveness, moderator
Introduction
Article 243 of the Indian Constitution grants powers to states to enact laws to
enable smooth functioning of the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). Exercising
this power, in 2014, the State of Rajasthan promulgated an ordinance prescribing
eligibility criteria for candidates contesting the elections for the various posts in
local self-government bodies. The ordinance was subsequently enacted as a law.
For instance, the Rajasthan law now required the candidates to have a functional
Article
Indian Journal of Public
Administration
69(1) 37–46, 2023
© 2022 IIPA
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DOI: 10.1177/00195561221109078
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1 Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand, India.
2 Institute of Professional Studies and Development Research, Kumaun University, Nainital,
Uttarakhand, India.
Corresponding author:
Gaurav Joshi, Kumaun University, Nainital, Uttarakhand 263001, India.
E-mail: GAURAVKEC@gmail.com
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