Subject(s): Panchayat in India. -- Local government in India. -- Decentralization in government in India. -- Structure and functioning of PRIs : Evolution of Panchayati raj in India, decentralized governance through panchayat raj institutions, decade of panchayati raj in Madhya Pradesh, panchayat raj in Rajasthan, panchayat raj system, functional devolution on panchayats in Kerala -- Marginalized sections (women, Dalits, tribals) and their participation : Panchayat raj in tribal regions of Madhya Pradesh, democratic decentralization, social movements and predicament of tribals- comparative analysis of Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh, empowering women through panchayati raj, women in panchayats in Madhya Pradesh -- Institutional mechanism and grassroot decision making : Democratization of elitist rural power structure through PRIs, efficiency of gram sabha in west Bengal -- Natural resources management and PRIs : Governance, commons and community in tribal communities in MP, changing role of panchayat bodies in watershed development, management of irrigation tanks under decentralized governance -- NGOs, panchayats and capacity building initiatives : Capacity- building for local body leaders in Tamil Nadu -- Power structure, leadership and social settings : Grassroots leadership in stratified socio-economic and political structure of Panchayat raj -- Decentralized planning and finance : Market and democratic decentralization, democratic decentralization for success of globalization in India, decentralization and fiscal devolution, decentralized governance and its implications on planning in Madhya Pradesh