Rob Jenkins and James Manor. Politics and the Right to Work: India's National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

Abstract

Introduction The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) is a unique legislation not just in India but also among developing countries for the simple reason that no other developed, nor developing, country has enacted a right to employment. In simple terms, it guarantees 100 days per year of paid work, on demand and as a manual laborer, to every adult resident of rural areas. As a legislative act it provides for compensation in the form of an unemployment allowance for delays in wage ...