Introduction -- Women in governance: The role and limitations of reservations -- Elected Women Representatives in the Local Governments in Kerala: Leaders hit the Glass Ceiling of Political Parties -- From Last Mile Delivery Enablers To Political Leaders - How Rural SHG Women In Tamil Nadu Use Convergence Scheme As A Pathway To Political Participation -- Women Leaders in Urban Local Bodies: An evaluation of performance and factors influencing the leadership -- Decision- Making Power of Women in Governance: A study of Mysore City Corporation -- Constraints and Challenges of Naga Tribal Women in Manipur and Nagaland -- State Initiatives towards making the women reservations successful -- Local government, women representation and the management of natural resources: The gender dimensions of local decision-making on natural resource management in Madhya Pradesh -- Women in Local Governance: An Analysis of perspectives of Elected Women Representatives on Governance and Politics in Kerala -- Impact of Women Leadership on Service Delivery and Local development with reference to Tribal Women of Sabarkantha District, Gujarat.

This book discusses experiences of women leaders in decentralised government structure in India and their participation in governance. The book also examines contribution of women leaders to the development of local area and economy through improved delivery of public services. In India, the policy of reserving seats and executive positions to women in the Panchayati Raj Institutions (grassroot governance bodies in India) at the village, sub-district and district levels, and urban local bodies was introduced three decades ago to improve representation of women at the grassroots level and enable them to access political decision-making at the local level. Because of the policy, about half of three million leaders in local government are currently women. The book explores the impact of this significant representation of women on decentralised governance and development. It looks at why this impressive representation of women in the local government has not translated into improved participation of women at the provincial and national parliament. The book discusses successful models, experiences of women leaders from different parts in India, and challenges faced by them. It offers new interpretations of findings and new methodologies to assess the contribution of women to decentralised governance and development. It is a rich source of material for researchers, teachers, practitioners, policymakers, NGOs, and think tanks.