| ID | 103172 |
| Title Proper | Spaces for negotiation and mass action within the National Rural Health Mission |
| Other Title Information | community monitoring plus" and people's organizations in tribal areas of Maharashtra, India |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Donegan, Brendan |
| Publication | 2011. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | The first phase of the Community-Based Monitoring of Health Services program of the National Rural Health Mission has seen involvement of civil society actors at every stage, from the formation of policy in Delhi to program implementation in villages across the country. For many of the civil society actors involved, the program presents a unique opportunity to advance their rights-based agendas from within the government system by making creative and innovative use of the spaces that the program opens. In the implementation of the program by people's organizations in tribal areas of Maharashtra, "innovations" have been introduced that go beyond the scope of the guidelines set in Delhi; these have been dubbed "community monitoring plus."
Drawing upon actor-network theory and recent work in the anthropology of development, this paper explores the dynamics, achievements and tensions of "community monitoring plus" through a narrative that travels the length of the policy process. The analysis describes how categories such as "state," "civil society" and "community" are constructed within spaces of policy and practice, and examines the crucial enabling role that such constructions play in the policy process. The necessity of such constructions leads to a disconnect between policy making and implementation, so that policy makers remain ignorant of the realities of implementation practice and subordinate actors can carve out spaces for carrying out their own agendas around and against the policy framework. The implications of the analysis extend beyond the case study, as the dynamics described are also features of policy processes elsewhere. |
| `In' analytical Note | Pacific Affairs Vol. 84, No. 1; Mar 2011: p.47-65 |
| Journal Source | Pacific Affairs Vol. 84, No. 1; Mar 2011: p.47-65 |
| Key Words | Health ; Anthropology ; Community ; Civil Society ; Politics |