Institutional Change and Power Asymmetry in the Context of Rural India

This book explains how to bring about institutional change and foster new institutional structures (institution building) by resolving power inequities in a rural ecosystem in India, and advocates the identification of an appropriate institutional champion to make this happen. The book develops a power-asymmetry-based framework and argues that a champion with the right attributes and the 'ability’ to 'convene' people over a social issue can only succeed if he/she can resolve or reduce the deep-rooted societal power asymmetries within that community. It also presents four case studies that indicate how such social change is typically spread over a long period of time.