DECENTRALISATION IN KERALA 9 by these principles. The legislation is being backed up by a powerful campaign to mobilise the people for democratic decentralisation. Fundamental reforms cannot be merely legislated. Legislation remains empty phrases unless powerful movements oversee their implementation. Legislation is necessary but not sufficient for decentralisation. Kerala's success in land reform reinforces our argument. The laws were successfully implemented because they were backed by a powerful peasant movement. This political conviction has given rise to a fascinating and unique experiment in social mobilisation for decentralisation. What are the salient features of Kerala's decentralisation programme that makes it unique? In Section II we shall present a fairly detailed discussion of the campaign designed to promote maximum participation, transparency and scientific objectivity in plan formulation and implementation. The effectiveness of these mechanisms in achieving the objectives of democratic decentralisation are critically evaluated in Section III. In the present opening section, we shall briefly outline what we considered are the four important points of departure of the Kerala experiment when compared to the decentralisation programmes in other states in India and most parts of the world. REVERSAL OF SEQUENCE OF THE DECENTRALISATION PROCESS Decentralisation involves a number of changes in administrative structure, allocation of functions and powers, and control of resources. All three are interrelated and to an extent would have to be introduced simultaneously. But it is almost a dictum of decentralisation reforms that the changes be effected gradually. Typically it would be argued that certain preconditions for successful decentralisation, have to be met, and these according to a sequence and with a clear demarcation of functions among the various levels. Administrative support structures have to be created by establishing horizontal linkages, effecting institutional changes, redeploying staff, generating an information base and training personnel. Awareness creation is also an important task. The devolution of financial resources is limited by the absorptive capacity of the nascent institutions. It is almost a case of cutting a coat to suit the size of the cloth. For various reasons the preconditions are seldom met, and the financial devolution occurs only on paper. The sequential model of decentralisation presumes a linearity of implementation informed by a social technocratic vision in which a blueprint can be deployed in a