Accelerating India's Development: A State-Led Roadmap for Effective Governance

by Karthik Muralidharan

India has too few of them, with only 16 public employees per 1000 people, compared to 57 in China, 77 in the US, 111 in Brazil and 159 in Norway (see

India’s tax-to-GDP ratio of 18 per cent is around half that of higher income countries, such as the US or the UK.

India spends only 3 per cent of its budget at the local government level compared to over 50 per cent in China.

state promises more than it can deliver, it is often forced to break some promises, which contributes to a trust deficit between citizens and the government.