Page 179 - EW December 2025

tion and compromise. It teachers which I fre- of political leaders turned theoretical models. It
reminds us that the State quently encountered while into reformers restoring provides an understanding
is not a black box, but a surveying schools in rural the dignity of government that meaningful scholar-
living institution shaped Odisha for my thesis work. teachers and schools, ship requires patience, hu-
by the people within it, Nearly every teacher I engaging in a new lan- mility, and the willingness
which always needs care- spoke to expressed frustra- guage of participation and to embrace messiness.
ful study. Her research tion at being pulled away deliberation while navigat- In this sense, this book
involved being present from the classroom. Yet, as ing the tussle between is both a compelling nar-
with the State, capturing Aiyar rightly argues, this bureaucracy and reform- rative and a quiet mani-
real-time activities, talking narrative can also deflect ers, reveals what ‘systemic festo for the craft of public
to multiple stakeholders. accountability. change’ actually entails. policy research in India. It
“State capacity is, after all, Lessons in State Capac- Aiyar’s work is not just reminds us that state ca-
a voyage of discovery in ity is not just a case study an exploration of Delhi’s pacity is not just a matter
which all actors have to be of Delhi or education. It education reforms, but of design, but of politics,
taken along,” writes Iyer. is a book about the Indian a methodological guide relationships, and trust.
A particularly insight- State — its rhythms, its on how to study the State And most importantly, it is
ful section examines the frictions, and its capac- itself. Her insistence on important for policy schol-
contradictory role of gov- ity to both inspire and immersive, ground-level ars to be present in lived
ernment school teachers disappoint. It cautions engagement, speaking realities of the State, to
expected to be profession- against over-reliance on with teachers, sitting in understand how and why
al educators, but burdened performance metrics and classrooms, navigating the process of change is
with non-teaching tasks quick fixes and urges cramped district of- slow, and why it requires
ranging from surveys to long-term commitment fices, pushes back against societal participation as an
election duty. This has to building institutions the tendency in policy everyday task.
shaped a dominant narra- that can reflect, learn, and research to rely solely on SAMRIDHI AGARWAL
tive of victimhood among adapt. The involvement aggregated data or neat (The Book Review)

DECEMBER 2025 EDUCATIONWORLD 179