Does Social Welfare Programme Influence Households Trust in Local Administration and Their Political Participation? Evidence from the MGNREG Scheme in India

The prime purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of receiving employment benefits under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREG) scheme on the household’s trust in the local administration and their political participation. The present study is based on primary data collected through a structured schedule from selected districts of Haryana, India. In order to analyse the collected data, the ordered logistic regression method was used. The major findings of the study indicated that MGNREG beneficiaries expressed a lower level of trust and unfavourable attitude towards local administration. They were also found less interested in participating in the village-level meetings. Thus, it appeared that simply being a beneficiary of the MGNREG programme was not adequate to influence public trust in local administration. Finally, the policy measures were suggested to the policymakers to strengthen the relationship between MGNREG beneficiaries and the local administration.