Governance Reform in Karnataka

1
Governance Reform in Karnataka

• Vikram K. Chand
• World Bank
• April 26, 2004

2
The Context

• Reformist Government elected in late 1999.
• Pressures from below for change in system.
• Legacy of highly skilled civil service.

3
Key Challenges

• Improving the quality of services.
• Reducing political interference.
• Combating corruption.

4
Bangalores Service Delivery Miracle

• Dramatic improvements in service delivery.
• Report cards issued by the Public Affairs Center
  (PAC).
• Survey commissioned by the Bangalore Agenda Task
  Force (BATF).

5
Improvements in Satisfaction Public Services
in Bangalore
 
Source PAC
6
Large Decline in Corruption
Corruption across Three Report Cards
100
80
60
25
who paid
40
32
20
19
14
9
22
0
1994
1999
2003
Year
General Households
Slum
Source PAC
7
Trends Services in Bangalore
Source BATF
8
Computerization of Land Records

• 20 million land records computerized.
• Results
• Steep reduction in bribes
• Faster delivery times
• Fewer errors
• Travel to Taluq offices still necessary.

9
Enhancing Transparency in Government

• Transparency in Tenders and Procurement.
• Model law on Right to Information (RTI).
• RTI adopted despite stiff resistance.
• NGOs push for RTI implementation.

10
Frequent Civil Servant Transfers

• Market in buying and selling of posts.
• Politicians use transfers for patronage.
• Frequent transfers hurt service delivery.

11
Overall Transfers/Karnataka
12
Controlling Transfers

• Cadre management committees.
• Quantitative caps on transfers.
• Computerized transfer process.
• Mass transfers reduced sustainable?

13
Anti-corruption Enforcement

• Strongest Lok Ayukta (Ombudsman) in India.
• Investigates corruption/maladministration.
• Budget US1.6 million five hundred officers.
• Activist Judge appointed in June, 2001.

14
Lok Ayukta Focus on Service Delivery

• Investigations
• Drug adulteration
• Public hospitals (absenteeism, exploitation)
• Transport and registration departments.
• Corruption in municipal government
• Volume of complaints triple in one year.
• Wide publicity may be the best way to check
  corruption when courts dont work...

15
Lok Ayukta In Action
16
Key lessons from Karnataka

• Political commitment crucial for reform.
• Administrative reformers empowered.
• Civil society stoke pressure for change.
• BATF Model of public-private partnership.
• Synergy among key actors in Karnataka.

17
The Role of the World Bank

• Reinforce local initiatives through SALs.
• Focus first fiscal, expand to governance.
• Time-table for home-grown reforms.
• SALs strengthen reformers in government.
• Efforts not uniformly successful.

18
Future Challenges

• Replicating Bangalore model.
• Extending service delivery gains to rural areas.
• Sustaining political commitment.