Makkala Panchayats:
Institutionalization of Children's Participation in
Local Decision-Making

Anirban Pal
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies
Erasmus University
Rotterdam, the Netherlands

Citation: Pal, Anirban (2008). "Makkala Panchayats: Institutionalization of Children's Participation in Local Decision-Making." Children, Youth and Environments 18 (2): 197-205. Retrieved [date] from http://www.colorado.edu/journals/cye/

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Abstract

This paper reports on an innovative initiative in Karnataka, India, now adopted by the state government for replication, to involve children in regular local public decision-making and governance. Started by an NGO and a union of child workers, it set up elected children’s councils in several villages to address children’s issues and successfully lobbied for action to improve children’s social and physical environments, using education, empowerment and tactful political maneuvering. The conclusion considers lessons from the experience to date.

Keywords: participation, local government, working children’s union, rural India