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Institutionalizing Reform: The Ford Foundation, The I.I.P.A., and Administrative Reform in India, 1950-1970

Damle, Shilpa C.
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1401832984

Abstract Details

2014, Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, History.
The period after World War II was the high point for American Foundations abroad. This was especially true for the Ford Foundation, which was just emerging on the international stage, ready to use the benefits of American modernization techniques and institutional strategies for the newly independent nations in Asia. They believed that poverty caused instability and a rise in radical ideologies, which were a threat to democracies around the world. The Cold War heightened the Foundation’s concern towards these outcomes. Consequently, the Ford Foundation decided to support the development programs of governments, especially in nascent democracies like India, in the 1950s. Foundation actions are criticized or lauded by scholars who primarily focus on Foundation motivation and expectations, not taking the recipients’ realities and context into consideration. This study expands the study of Foundation programs in developing countries by adding the recipient’s history and culture to the analysis thereby providing a fuller understanding of Ford Foundation’s institutionalizing strategies in India and its expectations of these institutions in the area of administrative reform between 1950 and 1970. Due to the circumstances surrounding Indian independence, nationalist leaders decided to situate the new Indian nationalism in the centralized State and its development program. Consequently, they decided to continue the centralized bureaucratic structure of the colonial government. However, Prime Minister Nehru realized that this system needed to be reformed and asked the Ford Foundation and Paul Appleby to study India’s administration and suggest changes. Given the constraints of the centralized administrative structure and Appleby’s own beliefs, he recommended the setting up of an Institute of Public Administration, serving as a professional society for academic Public Administration and as a forum for scholars to study administrative problems and discuss possible solutions with administrators, leading to better practices. The Foundation helped create the Indian Institute of Public Administration (I.I.P.A.). However, due to changes in political environment, the Ford Foundation altered its expectation of the Institute and pushed it to become more aggressive pursuing administrative reforms. The Institute, however, did not change its essential character and continued to serve as a professional society thereby frustrating Foundation expectations.
David Hammack, C (Advisor)
Kenneth Ledford (Committee Member)
Rhonda Williams, Y (Committee Member)
Kelly McMann (Committee Member)
335 p.
American History; History; Modern History; Public Administration; South Asian Studies
Ford Foundation; Indian Institute of Public Administration; Paul Appleby; Administrative Reform; India; Indian Administrative Service; Douglas Ensminger; American Foundations; Non-Profit Organizations; Public Administration

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Damle, S. C. (2014). Institutionalizing Reform: The Ford Foundation, The I.I.P.A., and Administrative Reform in India, 1950-1970 [Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1401832984

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Damle, Shilpa. Institutionalizing Reform: The Ford Foundation, The I.I.P.A., and Administrative Reform in India, 1950-1970. 2014. Case Western Reserve University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1401832984.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Damle, Shilpa. "Institutionalizing Reform: The Ford Foundation, The I.I.P.A., and Administrative Reform in India, 1950-1970." Doctoral dissertation, Case Western Reserve University, 2014. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=case1401832984

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

case1401832984
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This open access ETD is published by Case Western Reserve University School of Graduate Studies and OhioLINK.