ASSESSING CITIZEN PERCEPTIONS ON GRAM PANCHAYAT GOVERNANCE: A DISTRIBUTIONAL ANALYSIS FROM WEST BENGAL

Decentralized governance through Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) has been widely conceptualized as a mechanism for enhancing accountability, inclusiveness, and efficiency in rural service delivery in India. However, empirical assessments of gram panchayat performance have largely relied on aggregate indicators on mean-based satisfaction scores, which tend to obscure significant variations in citizen experiences. This study addresses this methodological limitation by adopting a distribution sensitive analytical framework to examine citizen perceptions of gram panchayat governance in West Bengal. The primary survey data collected from 160 respondents across four districts of West Bengal. The study evaluates ten key governance indicators using a five-point Likert scale. Rather than focusing solely on central tendencies, the analysis emphasizes the distribution of responses across categories, along with aggregated perception groupings. The findings reveal substantial dissatisfaction in critical areas such as fund utilization, responsiveness, and timeliness of service delivery. Moreover, high levels of perceived political bias and favoritism indicate the persistence of elite capture and partisan influence in local governance structures, consistent with political economy perspectives. Similarly, the presence of considerable neutral responses across multiple indicators suggests ambiguity, inconsistent service delivery, and varying levels of citizen awareness. This highlights the inherently uneven and non-uniform nature of governance outcomes at the grassroots level.