This paper delves into the workplace struggles of formerly incarcerated women, exploring how past convictions and intersecting stigmas (gender, caste, class) shape their experiences.

The state of West Bengal has a population of 9.03 crores of which 19.98 percent live below the poverty line.

Drawing on empirical data from four gram panchayats in Orissa, the paper examines the ‘representation’ of elected representatives—more particularly those of disadvantaged categories—by exploring their participation in the governance process, responsiveness towards the interest o