The modern face of traditional agrarian rule: local government in Pakistan

The 1980s saw an increasing enthusiasm for decentralisation and good governance in developing countries. Through an ethnographic study of the office of Tehsil Mayor in Kharalpur, Pakistan, it is argued that decentralisation, instead of creating opportunities for people for democratic participation and empowerment through modern local government institutions, has itself being subverted by the traditional norms and rules of patronage-based personalised governance. Rather than modernity influencing tradition it is the other way around. This has further strengthened the power and prestige of the rural elite.