The dynamics of achieving ‘power’ and ‘reform’ as a positive-sum game: a report on the preliminary ethnographic explorations of the politics-governance nexus in Madhya Pradesh, India

This initial report on ethnographic research into politics and governance in Madhya Pradesh is based upon preliminary interviews with a broad cross-section of the population, from policy makers down to the grassroots. It exposes the superficial optimism of the reform programmes being pushed through by the State's current Chief Minister, suggests an analytical framework for how politics, reform and governance dynamically interact, and raises important questions for the development of further research.