Institute of Development Studies

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) enshrines the legal right of one hundred days of paid employment to any household, on demand. Though its scope is national, there have been wide inter-state variations in the achievement of the objectives of the Act. Based on a study of three states, this report identifies the institutional arrangements and political and administrative initiatives that have made a difference to states' implementation of MGNREGA. Several factors are identified as accounting for differential performance. These include: institutionalisation of certain processes reflecting accountability; capacity building of implementing agencies; willingness to adopt facilitating technological innovations; creation of new institutions to meet the challenge of transparency; enlistment and participation of civil society organisations; and the promotion of awareness and organisation among the wage seekers. The report also looks at the impact of differential performance between states on the participating households in the three states. The findings may help in improving the implementation of the scheme in areas that are lagging behind.

Report summary: CSP Research Report Summary 09

Related publication: Social Protection in Asia: Research findings and policy lessons