Abstract
This thesis discusses the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Rajasthan. Looking specifically at two factors, the role of the Gram Panchayat leader/the Sarpanch and the role of civil society organisations (CSOs) in making work accessible for rural poor. MGNREGA is an important source of income for rural poor in Rajasthan, because of the dry and difficult climate, in addition to the challenge of finding other suitable jobs close to home. Based on interviews and a case study of a Gram Panchayat in Rajasthan, this thesis discuss the role of the Sarpanch from an institutional, top-down perspective and CSOs involvement from a bottom-up perspective. I find that if the Sarpanch does not initiate MGNREGA and engage people to work under the program, the implementation of MGNREGA will not happen. Institutional structures have not reached all the way down to the lowest levels of government, where rural poor follow a person instead of a state in their everyday life. CSOs can contribute to the implementation of MGNREGA by cooperating with the government, or by being an independent actor monitoring and evaluating the program. Their involvement is not always wanted, as the case of Rajasthan shows. However, this thesis also indicates the importance of CSOs in enhancing knowledge and understanding of MGNREGA.