The Accountability Initiative at the Centre for Policy Research invites you to a discussion on
'Claiming the State: Active Citizenship and Social Welfare in Rural India'
Speaker:
Dr. Gabrielle Kruks-Wisner, Assistant Professor of Politics & Global Studies, University of Virginia
About the Session:
Citizens around the world look to the state for social welfare provision, but often struggle to access essential services in health, education, and social security. Claiming the State: Active Citizenship and Social Welfare in Rural India published by Cambridge University Press investigates the everyday practices through which India's citizens make claims on the state, asking whether, how, and why they engage public officials in the pursuit of social welfare. Drawing on extensive fieldwork in rural India, Dr Gabrielle Kruks-Wisner demonstrates how claim-making is possible in settings (poor and remote) and among people (the lower classes and castes).
The session organised by Accountability Initiative at the Centre for Policy Research will feature a wide-ranging discussion on the author's insights, the importance of citizen participation in democracy, and how this can be made stronger.
About the Author:
Gabrielle Kruks-Wisner is an Assistant Professor of Politics & Global Studies at the University of Virginia. Prior to joining UVA, she was an Academy Scholar at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, and an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Boston College. She received a Ph.D. in Political Science and Masters in International Development & Regional Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a B.A. in Sociology/Anthropology from Swarthmore College. Her research is focused on local governance, citizenship practice, and social welfare provision, examining citizen claim-making practices and the responsiveness of local officials to those claims.
Please RSVP at socialmedia@accountabilityindia.org. The seating at the venue can accommodate up to 60 people on a first come first serve basis.