Abstract: Why do some places experience better governance than others? This question has been central to social science research, as regions with poorer governance often lag behind, creating disparities that hinder democratic participation. These uneven governance outcomes are frequently attributed to the strategic actions of centralised planners, local elites, or historical processes that shape the quality of local institutions. Based on the book (The Uneven State, forthcoming), I argue in this talk that mid-level bureaucrats, who are frequently transferred across regions, play a crucial role in reinforcing these disparities. Rather than stemming from political strategies or bureaucratic rent-seeking, persistent regional inequalities arise from common preferences for desirable postings close to home or with good services. The book examines how bureaucratic preferences influence governance through two years of fieldwork, administrative data, and a survey of mid-level bureaucrats. It starts by investigating bureaucratic lobbying around transfers, particularly using data on Block Development Officers and Tehsildars in Odisha. The second part connects these bureaucratic behaviours to public service delivery, showing how lobbying affects interactions between citizens and the state and ultimately reveals how internal politics within the bureaucracy shape public service effectiveness.
Speaker Bio-sketch: Anustubh Agnihotri is an Assistant Professor of political science at Ashoka University. His research focuses on understanding how public bureaucracies shape the effectiveness of local governance and the delivery of public services. He has also worked on projects that study how new technologies are adopted and scaled in resource-poor contexts. Anustubh finished his PhD in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. He also holds a Master’s in public policy and a Master’s in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin and a Bachelor’s in Electronics and Telecommunications from Pune University. Profile: https://anustubhagnihotri.com/