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How powers, money and responsibilities are shared between the Union, the states and local governments, and how that balance affects what Kerala can do for its people.
India’s Constitution divides power between the Union and the states, and since 1992 has given a constitutional place to panchayats and municipalities. How that division works in practice is one of the most consequential and least understood questions in Indian public life.
Kerala raises a large share of its own revenue but depends on transfers for much of the rest. The rules for those transfers, the design of the Goods and Services Tax, conditions attached to central schemes and limits on state borrowing all shape what the state government can do. Kerala is also known for decentralising real power and money to local governments, an experiment that offers lessons and unfinished business.
We aim to be useful to all sides of a debate that is often conducted in partisan terms. Our analysis is evidence first, and we publish our data so others can test it.
Do the formulas used to share central taxes treat states that controlled population growth fairly?
How has the Goods and Services Tax changed the fiscal autonomy of states?
When the Union funds a scheme and a state runs it, who is accountable for the results?
How can the constitutional promise of strong local government be completed?
Borrowing by state owned bodies has become a large and contested part of public finance. A simple annual disclosure statement would let legislators and citizens see the full picture without stopping investment.
Scholar One
A practitioner reflects on what Kerala's experiment in local democracy achieved, what it did not, and what the next generation of reform should look like.
Adviser One
Every argument about the state's finances turns into an argument about who is to blame. The public deserves a debate about choices instead.
Adviser Two
Kerala transferred real money and power to local governments in the 1990s. This report examines how local finances have evolved since, and what would strengthen them for the next thirty years.
Scholar One, Intern One
Every five years, a commission decides how a large share of India's tax revenue is divided between the Union and the states, and among the states. Here is how it works.
Scholar One
Panchayats run schools, health centres, roads and welfare programs in your neighbourhood. A plain language guide to what they do and how you can take part.
Researcher One
RoundtableHybrid
Accomplished
A series of workshops in Malayalam that helped elected ward members read and question their local government's budget.
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