The Invisible Institutions

Posted in LinkedIn 

I am intrigued by the discussion on institutional structures. Each village we go to, where seemingly no institutions exist - have an invisible institution, which we can't/don't see, but still the village functions as an entity. Several functions happen, even governance of natural resources, much contextualised to the population it caters to.

We bring in institutional templates, we bring different service providers - they survive program tenures but then they may disappear - but more often than not, the functions merge with the invisible (institutions). The invisible is time tested, cannot take the burden of external templates and compliance, but manage the functions through norms, rules and volunteerism

We have large programs, we have SOPs and we have templates for outcomes.

The fragmentation created by several committees with the same set of people - with different or contradictory processes - have brought irreparable damage to the norms and the invisible institutions

We are afraid of the diversity of outcomes, as programs we cannot embrace diversity, we have difficulty in embracing contextual responses.

The ability of communities to mould, design contextual solutions, absorb or re-engineer to suit themselves is in true sense - STEWARDSHIP!

Discussions on LinkedIn:

Shailesh Nagar:

Programmatic frameworks are useful for the dialogue that they create (if they create) within the communities, questioning, modifying, feedback etc. Some communities have seen them as such and used the learning and finance that comes with these programmes to be better adapted to the changing world. We as individuals are also bombarded with frameworks/norms, the art is to understand these as frameworks, take or leave what you need for your betterment (each one is free to define it for themselves) and move. 

Subrata Singh

Definitely agree on programmatic frameworks and the discourse it creates, also the spirit of such programs. The essence lies in how it reaches the communities and in what form. The SOPs and our eagerness to monitor through sharp indicators 

Shailesh Nagar

Yes. Also, it is impossible or very difficult and many times counterproductive, especially in ecological domains to craft specific indicators for monitoring and evaluating. When there is trust, monitoring will be less. The opposite is true as well. SOPs don't work everywhere, especially when the system change you are working with needs adaptive thinking and doing and not standardized approaches. 

Pranab Choudhary

I think these invisible or informal institutions run through the tacit knowledge systems of the community. Informality and invisibility are not only embedded realities of localised systems, they are also resilient, adaptive & endogenous. However external governance and development actors, by virtue of their education and orientation tend to prefer formalised system and to projectise institutions. Many a time such impositions from top through incentivised structure and Co-option not only have weakened the local systems and generated externalities, but also they have resulted in conflict and worked against the goal of the external agenda. An alternative approach is to explore if and how can external actors work with and adapt to local invisible and informal systems?

Subrata Singh

This search to recognise the invisible and work with them is necessary and imminent 

Bryan Bruns

Good observations. However, I wonder about the extent of “irreparable damage” versus communities being able to dress themselves up as needed to comply with external demands, and then keep things they value going on after the projects and programs have faded away.

Subrata Singh

Thanks, the communities have definitely learnt to dress themselves up to comply but certain changes are difficult to change once accepted. The horizon of thinking is changing, certain interventions are designed for impact at long term, but communities fall for short term gains. Like surface irrigation systems were designed and supported over years to be killed by borewells in two decades. It's a bait we all fell for. Similarly, village institutions versus SHGs.

Aleen Mukherjee

They have skin in the game. 

Subrata Singh

Love the comment and the essence. A bit more elaboration will be helpful 

Saswatik Tripathy

Absolutely, these organic structures have stood the test of time, functioning through community norms, rules, and volunteerism. When we bring in external templates, we sometimes risk disrupting these delicate balances.

It's a thought-provoking reminder that not every challenge can be solved with standard operating procedures and templates. Diversity of outcomes, as you mentioned, should be embraced, not feared. The ability of communities to adapt and design contextual solutions is indeed a form of stewardship, reflecting the resilience and resourcefulness of these invisible institutions.

This highlights the importance of collaboration and listening to local voices, allowing communities to take the lead in shaping their futures. 

Jitesh Kumar Panda

Invisible and informal community institutions facilitate formation of formal community institutions.

Both complement and supplement each other.

Getting 'Glass Offices' to the Villages/Panchayats!

How do we create aspirations for the people within their villages, their panchayats? How do we bring back the dignity of occupations at the village level? How will people feel proud?

While the 'glass offices' may just be symbolic, the struggle is to reverse the trend. While it may take long to achieve, we need to start with small steps now.

How do we instill pride in farmers feeding the cities? How do the villages/panchayats have best of facilities?

Restoring Dignity in farmers

The communities in rural areas are suffering from a lack of dignity and self pride. We have created a mirage - by presenting the flashy side of urban life. The lack of dignity in rural life is perhaps the prime reason for distress migration of the youths. Being a retail worker or a zomato delivery boy are more dignified than a farmer today!

Wondering, how do we bring back the dignity in rural life and in their occupation. How do we redesign the development process and infrastructure to instill dignity? Rural Ecosystem - architecture, skills, job etc needs to be created locally. Can panchayats employ 40-50 youths for different services?

Ideas would be helpful!

Discussions on LinkedIn

Priyanka Singh Bais

I believe content creation offers a unique way to positively impact rural ecosystems. Online content creators highlighting rural life, local products, & communal activities offer recognition and visibility to rural communities. This acknowledgment boosts the self-esteem & dignity of these communities by valuing their traditions and culture. Additionally, they provides educational content on sustainable farming practices & rural entrepreneurship, which can empower the rural population.

Another aspect is rural & agro-tourism, which brings economic opportunities to rural areas. Urban visitors explore the natural beauty, working farms & culture of rural regions, benefiting local economies. Maharashtra has set a great example. Besides, rural tourism has also been highlighted in the side events of G20 Tourism Working Group meetings held under Indian presidency!

Mainly, Panchayats are key here. Through capacity building, community engagement, effective governance, political decentralization, financial empowerment, & as you mentioned "stewardship," they can independently provide necessary incentives, funding, and infrastructure for rural development, ensuring sustainability & restoring dignity.

I hope these points address the questions

Priyanka Singh Bais

Subrata Singh Absolutely showing the reality of urban life should be the way forward!

Surjodoy Nandy

In most of the states Panchayats are either defunct or too much politicised....In most states fund, function, functionaries are either not devolved to panchayat or it's only on paper and block district admins are controlling panchayats. On the other side beneficiary syndrome is high among citizens. First political will is needed at the state legislators level so that they bring decentralisation as mentioned in the 11th schedule of constitution. So far only left parties showed such will in the country. On one side decentralisation and hand hold panchayats and on the other side cultural and educational intervention at community level....this I think can change the situation. If a local governance institution becomes stronger and sensitive, then things will change.

Subrata Singh

We need a better interpretation of 'local government'. An imagination and vision would help to change is needed! Panchayats with own funds can show the way.

There is a need to move away from the beneficiary approach, and embrace a stewardship approach.

Shiv Singh

Very tough to answer Subrata Singh but still some of the ideas are as follows:

# Policy reforms needed to strengthen the Panchayati Raj Governance systems to make them become accountable for socio-economic development with ecological balance at local level and towards more attention on strengthening all form of crafted/self-evolved institutions with more focus on inclusion, and women/youth empowerment 

# Reforms related to meso-level governance would be also required to bring back the dignity and pride in rural populace 

# Highly focused approach needed to build the competitive rural infrastructure 

# Special attention needs to be provided to develop the local market and enterprises

# Climate smart regenerative agriculture production systems need to be established and strengthened with proper value chain systems towards produce price realisation, INRM, regenerative bio economic growth and sustainable impacts 

# Upgraded services need to be ensured specially related to health, education, vocational training and strengthening rural livelihood (specially of youth)

# More focus need to be given on the establishing the local-self community governance on the common property resources at habitation/panchayat level

Subrata Singh

Thanks Shiv Singh for your suggestions! Need deeper thinking and engagement on this.

Rahul Banerjee

The greatest number of people can be employed in ecosystem restoration, sustainable agriculture, distributed electricity generation and agricultural processing. So the government needs to invest in these in a big way. The investment will raise productivity and incomes and come back to the government through taxes. Similarly govt investment in school education and primary health too needs to be increased. NGOs and social entrepreneurs can only run pilots, it is the responsibility of the government to provide sustainable and equitable development which it has not done since the time of independence. The ratio of govt exp per capita in rural areas to the per capita GDP is one of the lowest in the world and has been so for decades. Overall govt exp to GDP ratio in India is an abysmal 14% whereas it is 40% in the USA.

Subrata Singh

Thanks Rahul, great inputs and needs structured engagement. Need to engage a lot, evolve instruments (like GPDP) and build capacities on this issue.

Manu Srivastava

Agree Subrat. But just not jobs at the panchayats, can we create more job and entrepreneurship opportunities for the rural youth. At Arghyam we are planning a research with Water For People and JustJobs Network to look at direct jobs for integrated water management for villages across the country. 

Subrata Singh

Thanks Manu, in discussion with Guru on the same. We need to look at it from a governance perspective - with panchayat being the determining position and exercising its powers - May need to look at Panchayat as a Corporate Entity (in functioning)

Nishant Kumar

Like your sensitive obsevation surely one of the sharpest question one faced in the sector was from CGM NABARD at RO Gujrat in 2010 addressed to a large group of development professionals _ How many of you do keetan bhajan with tribals after your duty hour?

Maybe the same crisis of lack self esteem was facing Shabri before the visit of Ram. He certified her perseverance as supreme of all devotion achieved by none before (Nawdha bhakti). She still is one of the most revered tribal icon in Central India and beyond. 

Writing all this surely not to promote any North or South from centre approach in development but emphasising on the much beyond solutions from a cultural development approach. Surely a handful of true Bhagats have proved more than armies of pseudo believers in all aspects of rural life including self respect and social mobility. 

May your humane approach thrive amidst ongoing clash of civilizations hell bent to rob communities of their identity and roots.

Deepannita Misra

Interesting points... perhaps these local trends also warrant taking a closer look at industrial-agricultural growth patterns, aspirations and contexts of what are considered to be the 'pillars of development' at the global and local levels, simultaneously. Attaching the reference to "green growth strategy" for review too: https://www.afdb.org/en/topics-and-sectors/initiatives-partnerships/green-growth-initiative 

Ranjan K Panda

When I started understanding the traditional water harvesting systems of central highlands in early 90s, one strong observation came to the fore: the same people who created these marvels have lost their confidence, hence self-esteem, due to the negligence of their traditional knowledge by the system, thanks to concrete engineering dominated water depts. It took quite some time to bring back some level of confidence through various initiatives that respected their knowledge and co-created models of water harvesting on which they had the ownership. I think, in principle, some solutions can be found in such approaches. Thanks!

Raghvender Bhati

There is a general sense of unawareness and distrust among youth towards the use of various government schemes aimed at uplifting local entrepreneurship. An emphasis on educating the masses about the same is pretty important. I am planning to work towards such a campaign in some villages nearby NCR starting sometime soon, pls dm if you'd like to collaborate.

Paras Tyagi

What better way than pointing out the ill effects of transforming villages into cities for development, i.e. from rural to urban villages without any planning that has changed people's way of life, making it much worse than before. Except monetary benefits for few who took wise decisions, this change has resulted in social issues that are seldom talked about in the mainstream. A practical solution is "village development plan" that is purposely denied to villages. Be it Delhi, Bengaluru or any other expanding town and city in India, everywhere the villagers are not provided the right kind of opportunities. Most importantly it is the children youth women and elders who suffer the most. The least that civil society can do is help in advocating for this policy change. It's not rocket science, the Orthodox village society will continue to remain aloof and adamant because they lack the farsightedness to understand urbanization.