CAPTURING INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE: THE CASE OF RIGHT TO INFORMATION ACT IN INDIA

Abstract

This thesis seeks to examine the process of institutional change through the lenses of transformation in the ‘information regime’ in India by tracing the evolution of Right to Information Act (RTIA) 2005 . Case of RTI throws open a research puzzle where prior to RTIA details and the process of governance were shrouded in secrecy. What explains this move towards institutional change? Why did the state decide to turn the page and initiate an institutional change in the persisting legal regime? In this light this thesis seeks to capture the why and how of institutional change. It contributes conceptually to the emerging literature on institutional change and presents a nuanced perspective on RTIA narrative.