Researching the politics of development
Publications

Success and failure in MGNREGA implementation in India
Briefing No. 1
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) – offering up to 100 days work each year to rural Indians – is the largest social protection programme in the world, in terms of the number of households covered. There is a lively debate around whether it provides a vital social safety net for the poor or merely burdens the economy.
The research shows that:
- there is marked variation in the provision of employment to those demanding work
- employment outcomes are lower in states with higher poverty levels
- MGNREGA implementation depends on the supply of work, rather than the demand for it
- supply of work is determined by differences in state capacity and commitment, local power relations and political competition
- strengthen the demand-side nature of MGNREGA
- allow for flexibility – within limits.