ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

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The Existence of a North–South Divide in Kerala

It has been acknowledged that the disparities in the development indicators between north and south Kerala have been reduced significantly post independence. This reduction is typically attributed to developments in the social sector. However, there is considerable difference existing between Malabar and Travancore–Cochin in terms of living standards and key infrastructural facilities. The multidimensional poverty index has also revealed that the incidence of poverty is high in northern Kerala compared to southern Kerala. People-centric policies coupled with decentralisation have effectively reduced the outcome disparity, while the Malabar region still lags behind the Travancore–Cochin region in some key aspects.

At the Intersections of Patriarchy and Informality

Mobility as Capability: Women in the Informal Economy by Nikhila Menon, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020; pp xvi + 196, price not available.

‘New Developmentalism’ and Left Mobilisation in Kerala

The “new developmentalism” of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala is an attempt to construct an alternative development model to the neo-liberal development. It is seen as a transition from the 1990s’ left confrontation with neo-liberal reforms, and as a convincible alternative in the globally acclaimed Kerala model of development. Even though the party reiterates its commitment to its basic class in pushing for new developmentalism, the real challenge is the quantum and levels of engagement with the Kerala model and neo-liberal development. Arriving at social and political consensus and bringing a social balance on the concerns of the marginalised and the aspirations of the emerging new middle class depend on the policies and strategies of the CPI(M).

Beyond Plastic Identifications

Due to centralised and infl exible infrastructures of state care involving upper-level bureaucratic decision-making and heavy reliance on documentary modalities, even the radically decentralised states such as Kerala are underperforming in their welfare responsibilities. A greater role for local governments needs to be re-envisioned.

‘Towards a More Prosperous and Plentiful Kerala’

The central proposition of this paper is that the Kerala economy must grow on a path that leverages the strengths of its ecosystem, both natural and social, in a way that engenders growth that is widely inclusive and inherently sustainable. The central concern must be whether and how far the various economic activities find a harmonious alignment with the differentia specifica of Kerala’s unique ecological wealth and social circumstances.

Sociopolitical Reading of a Tragedy in Kerala

Renewing the renaissance project with a socially egalitarian and secularising thrust is an urgent task.

Confronting the Elephant in the Room

More than three decades of reforms in Kerala’s drinking water sector have neither resulted in greater decision-making autonomy nor improved the fi nancial status of public utility. In addition to stymying the devolution of responsibility to local bodies, reforms have critically unsettled the role of the state leading to erosion of institutional capacity in public utility. The greater prominence of non-state players combined with institutional denuding of the state points to an emergent crisis of democratic accountability in the governance of this sector.

Fiscal Decentralisation and Finances of Gram Panchayats and Municipalities

Based on a sample of 56 gram panchayats and 14 municipalities, it is concluded that the fiscal decentralisation implemented in Kerala is partial. In the case of intergovernmental fiscal transfers through state finance commissions, there has been delayed implementation of SFC reports, rejection of devolution recommendations, implementation of very few recommendations and non-implementation of accepted recommendations indicating a distorted implementation of fiscal decentralisation. B

A Comedown

The Kerala Town and Country Planning Act, 2016 was considered a pioneering act that aligned with the 74th constitutional amendment. However, in October 2021, this act was amended. This article analytically examines the amendments made with respect to the provisions of the principal act. It discusses how there has been a dilution of important provisions of the act alongside major changes to Kerala’s planning system.

COVID-19 and Multiple Inequalities

Despite the overall achievements, Kerala’s handling of its first case of community transmission in the coastal village of Poonthura came under severe criticism. In this article, the potential pathways to the resistance raised by the fisherfolk in Poonthura are explored, thereby placing their responses as historically and politically embedded ones.

Linking Public Action

Kerala suffers less from clientelism, authoritarianism, and neo-liberalism than many other parts of the world, but it is affected by the universal dilemma of how to unify numerous actors and build democratic links between the local, the wider government, and the economy. This article’s comparative insights indicate that the state requires democratic partnership governance to avoid parties and individual leaders cornering power.

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