BASIC HYPOTHESIS

3. BASIC HYPOTHESIS

Preliminary examination of data from various sources suggests the
formulation of a clear hypothesis concerning the role of civil society in combating

corruption in India. The hypothesis is that the sustenance and success of efforts
to combat systemic corruption in India is directly related to the extent of
participation of the civil society in these efforts. The underlying idea is that
development is not the product of set of blueprints given by the political
leadership independently of the civil society but is often a joint output of the civil
society itself. The pace and direction of the developmental efforts is shaped by
the umbilical relationship between the state and civil society.
Viewed in this perspective, anti-corruption strategies are not simply
policies that can be planned in advance and isolation, but often a set of subtler
insights that can be developed only in conjunction with citizen participation.
Combating corruption is, therefore, not just a matter of making laws and creating
institutions, but rather it is deeply rooted in the activities of the civil society itself.