public goods provision implemented through gram panchayats in Karnataka, information was collected on income or funds received by the gram panchayats and on expenditures taken out of these funds. Detailed data on the kinds of goods provided from these expenditures were also collected. Because each gram panchayat has more than one village, the survey also collected villagelevel expenditure data. These data include information on the expenditures for various activities implemented in the village and on the source of funds—that is, whether it was from the SGRY program or from other programs or funds devolved from the gram panchayat to its constituent villages. In 2008/09 IFPRI, ISEC, and the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) extended the 2006 survey to cover public service providers and user groups at the district, block, and village levels. The survey was implemented in five departments (table 4.2). The first three departments—responsible for agricultural extension, livestock services, and drinking water supply—are directly relevant for this study. Findings from the other two services are presented for comparison purposes. The Food and Civil Supplies Department is in charge of the public distribution system (a food security program under which households below the poverty line receive food items at subsidized rates in socalled ration shops). The anganwadi centers are child care facilities staffed mostly by female volunteers who receive a modest remuneration. This department offers an interesting comparison because its staff is mostly female and hired in a manner that is different from that of other departments. The survey covered field-level staff (also referred to as front-line staff or frontline service providers) and senior officials, typically the direct supervisors of the front-line staff. One type of user organization associated with each department is involved in service provision and supervision. Representatives of these organizations were interviewed as well. The study was carried out in the 12 districts from the 2006 survey round. In each district, two blocks were selected, one of which was more developed than the other. The selection was made on the basis of the CCDI indicator variable. Two gram panchayats for each block were selected from the set of gram panchayats included in the 2006 survey; user associations were then selected from these gram panchayats. In a number of blocks, the household survey covered only one gram panchayat. In those instances, the selection of the second gram panchayat was guided by the existence of user organizations for the largest number of service sectors. The interviews with field-level staff and user organization representatives were conducted using handheld computers. Paper questionnaires were used in all other interviews. Qualitative Case Studies This report draws on case studies conducted in Karnataka and Bihar. The Karnataka case study locations constitute a subsample of the quantitative survey described above. In Bihar, two districts were selected by using 2001 census
METHODOLOGY
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