A Scheme for the Government of India

Sir George Campbell (1824-92) spent a number of years in the administration of India at a time when rule over the country was being transferred from the East India Company to the British Crown. In this 1853 work, he offers an outline of policy for a future government. He believes that India is capable of being the most civilised country in the world, and favours introduction of the western model of development to India. Campbell laments the lack of co-ordination among various agencies of the government, and finds executive efficiency in an inverse proportion to staff numbers, thus supporting the idea of a small government. He argues for the establishment of an authoritative central power to guide, direct and propel the local administrations. Some of the problems he identified and the remedies he suggested are as relevant to the governance of India today as they were then.