Transparency and Accountability in Employment Programmes The case of NREGA in Andhra Pradesh

Based upon several field visits to the state of Andhra Pradesh to observe and analyse the social audit process initiated by the Government of Andhra Pradesh under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act this study finds that a new paradigm for the relationship between state agencies and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) is emerging. At one end of the spectrum is a model of conflict between CSOs and the state and, at the other end, is a model of cooperation where CSOs act closely in concert with agencies of the state. In Andhra, the state has commissioned CSOs to ensure transparency and accountability in the working of NREGA through the process of social audits.