Lessons in State Capacity from Delhi's Schools

Book excerpt: 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 providing an empathetic ear to these voices, this book reveals the complex ways in which bureaucratic hierarchies, processes, and belief systems shape state capacity. It describes 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. In documenting the trials and tribulations of educational personnel, bureaucrats, and reform champions, Aiyar captures the sites of resistance, distortion, and adoption of reform ideas through the voices of those charged with its implementation. Understanding these dynamics lies at the heart of the challenge of building state capacity.