This project explored how governments interact with civil society to support meaningful, community-led change in public services. In partnership with ShikshaLokam, this work focused on Shikshagraha, a growing movement across India to demand improved quality in public education.
Through fieldwork in multiple Indian states, we investigated how different levels of government either enable or constrain local partnerships between bureaucrats, grassroots organisers, school leaders, and civil society groups. With key themes including state-society relations, decentralisation, and system resilience, our research sought to understand the conditions under which community aspirations can translate into systemic education reform.
The research combined in-depth interviews with key stakeholders and regional focus groups to test and refine our findings. This approach helped us capture diverse perspectives from across the education ecosystem, including government officials, civil society organisations, philanthropic funders, and community leaders - all while ensuring relevance for policy and practice.
Bridging research and practice, this work led to the development of a practical playbook for local-level education reform. The playbook offers policymakers, civil society leaders, and grassroots advocates evidence-based strategies to strengthen state-society partnerships for education.
This project concluded in September 2026.