According to surveys, public procurement, access to public services, and regulation in India are prone to high degrees of bias, corruption and misalignment with public welfare. An ideal at the heart of good governance reform is “public accountability”; we frequently hear calls for greater accountability of government actors - both within public institutions and to the public at large. 

In Episode 7 of the DAKSH podcast, we speak to Dr. CK Mathew, a former bureaucrat and current academic, researcher and author with an interest in challenges before the Indian administrative state. Dr. Mathew weighs on how he thinks about public accountability - who owes it, to whom and how; how it affects the morale and functioning of administrators, and what elements are necessary for ‘accountability’ to drive towards improved development indicators. Drawing on his experience working with politicians and civil society, Dr. Mathew explores institutional and public experiments with accountability and unpacks what this concept means to him. 

Reading List


Dr. CK Mathew. “The Historical Evolution of the District Officer.” Azim Premji University, 2020.  https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/publications/2020/book/the-historical-evolution-of-the-district-officer-from-early-days-to-1947


India Today. “State of States 2021: The Best States in India.” November 2021.  https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20211206-state-of-states-2021-the-best-states-of-india-1880809-2021-11-27


Public Affairs Centre. “The Public Affairs Index.” https://pacindia.org/page/pai


Bala Posani & Yamini Aiyar. “State of Accountability: Evolution, Practice & Emerging Questions in Public Accountability in India.” Accountability Initiative. May 2009.  https://accountabilityindia.in/sites/default/files/working-paper/34_1244199435.pdf

CREDITS:

Host: Smita Mutt

This is a Maed in India production.

Production Head & Editor: Joshua Thomas

Sound Mixing: Kartik Kulkarni

Project Supervisor: Shaun Fanthome

According to surveys, public procurement, access to public services, and regulation in India are prone to high degrees of bias, corruption and misalignment with public welfare. An ideal at the heart of good governance reform is “public accountability”; we frequently hear calls for greater accountability of government actors - both within public institutions and to the public at large.  In Episode 7 of the DAKSH podcast, we speak to Dr. CK Mathew, a former bureaucrat and current academic, researcher and author with an interest in challenges before the Indian administrative state. Dr. Mathew weighs on how he thinks about public accountability - who owes it, to whom and how; how it affects the morale and functioning of administrators, and what elements are necessary for ‘accountability’ to drive towards improved development indicators. Drawing on his experience working with politicians and civil society, Dr. Mathew explores institutional and public experiments with accountability and unpacks what this concept means to him.  Reading List <ol class="ProsemirrorEditor-list"> <li class="ProsemirrorEditor-listItem" data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="numbered"> Dr. <a class="ProsemirrorEditor-link" href="mailto:mathew.ck@outlook.com">CK Mathew</a>. “The Historical Evolution of the District Officer.” Azim Premji University, 2020. <a class="ProsemirrorEditor-link" href="https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/publications/2020/book/the-historical-evolution-of-the-district-officer-from-early-days-to-1947"> https://azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/publications/2020/book/the-historical-evolution-of-the-district-officer-from-early-days-to-1947</a> </li> <li class="ProsemirrorEditor-listItem" data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="numbered"> India Today. “State of States 2021: The Best States in India.” November 2021. <a class="ProsemirrorEditor-link" href="https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20211206-state-of-states-2021-the-best-states-of-india-1880809-2021-11-27"> https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20211206-state-of-states-2021-the-best-states-of-india-1880809-2021-11-27</a> </li> <li class="ProsemirrorEditor-listItem" data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="numbered"> Public Affairs Centre. “The Public Affairs Index.” <a class="ProsemirrorEditor-link" href="https://pacindia.org/page/pai">https://pacindia.org/page/pai</a>  </li> <li class="ProsemirrorEditor-listItem" data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="numbered"> Bala Posani & Yamini Aiyar. “State of Accountability: Evolution, Practice & Emerging Questions in Public Accountability in India.” Accountability Initiative. May 2009. <a class="ProsemirrorEditor-link" href="https://accountabilityindia.in/sites/default/files/working-paper/34_1244199435.pdf"> https://accountabilityindia.in/sites/default/files/working-paper/34_1244199435.pdf</a>  </li> </ol> CREDITS: Host: Smita Mutt This is a <a class="ProsemirrorEditor-link" href="https://www.maedinindia.in/">Maed in India</a> production. Production Head & Editor: <a class="ProsemirrorEditor-link" href="https://twitter.com/tig3rbabu">Joshua Thomas</a> Sound Mixing: <a class="ProsemirrorEditor-link" href="https://twitter.com/KartikGKulkarni">Kartik Kulkarni</a> Project Supervisor: <a class="ProsemirrorEditor-link" href="https://twitter.com/shaunfanthome">Shaun Fanthome</a>

Welcome to the DAKSH podcast. DAKSH is a Bangalore-based non-profit dedicated to judicial reforms and access to justice in India. Through this series, we will critically examine India’s laws, judicial administration, the prison system, family law and other topics that we hope will help you understand our public institutions and your rights. Join us every Tuesday, as we discuss and decode this system.

DAKSH Podcast

According to surveys, public procurement, access to public services, and regulation in India are prone to high degrees of bias, corruption and misalignment with public welfare. An ideal at the heart of good governance reform is “public...

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