NIPFP has been privileged to partner with the Madhya Pradesh government and UNICEF in the production of this important report. The objective of fiscal policy and of good governance is to improve the lives of common people. Human development provides an excellent framework and metric within which the assessment and impact of such can be undertaken. This report provides both an analytical framework, and an empirical matrix to undertake such an exercise for Madhya Pradesh at the district level. The report has also carried out in depth analysis in several districts to understand specifically why human development outcomes may not have been achieved despite higher public expenditure. Here, important linkages between governance, human development and the efficacy of fiscal policy, have been identified. 

 

We are confident that this will be a valuable resource for the Madhya Pradesh government to better target its human development interventions and to undertake reforms in fiscal policy and governance that will improve the quality and effectiveness of public expenditure in the state, so that our common endeavour- to ensure that public money is spent such that there is a tangible positive difference in the lives of all citizens- is secured.