Social sector in a decentralized economy : India in the era of globalization This book is an analytical examination of financing and public service delivery challenges in a decentralized framework. It also provides critical insights into the effectiveness of public expenditure through benefit incidence analysis of education and healthcare services in India. The benefits of decentralization always come with conflicts and trade offs. By unpacking the process of decentralization the authors identify that unfunded mandates arising from the asymmetry between finances and functions at local levels are a major challenge. The analysis is carried out by distilling the existing studies in this area and through an empirical investigation of public finance data at different public sector levels in India as well as in some selected developing countries. Using the household survey statistics of consumption expenditure an analysis of utilization or benefit incidence of public spending on social sectors in India is achieved covering education and health sectors.