Managing poverty alleviation: insights from the field

In India, management of rural development has increasingly become a critical area of concern. During the Sixth Plan and in the current Seventh Plan the quantum of resources earmarked particularly for poverty alleviation programmes has been significantly enhanced. However, the degree of disparity between planned goals and actual outcomes has made management of such programmes the focus of attention. In 1983, PA's Committee on Case Studies decided that it would be useful to develop some case studies authored by administrators engaged in the management of poverty alleviation programmes which would vividly portray the impediments to effective implementation.
The present publication entitled Managing Poverty Alleviation: Insights from the Field seeks to contribute to a better understanding of the simplementation processes in the management of poverty alleviation programmes. The case studies broadly examine social, cultural, planning, organisational and behavioural problems affecting the achievement of results. Part I of this volume provides an introduction to the origin and purpose of the case method, the arts of case writing and using case studies for training administrators, an overview of the seven case studies in this volume and offers nine valuable suggestions for more effective management of the process of poverty alleviation. Part II consists of seven case studies which deal respectively with Block Plan Preparation, Brick Kiln, Implementation of IRDP, Poultry Complex, District Level Computerisation, Implementation of Land Reforms, and Consolidation of Holdings Operations. These studies provide a wealth of insights into the problems faced by our field level administrators.