Source — "From Jugaad to Justice: Endemic Corruption and the Possibility of an Indian Spring" (2013)
- Title: "From Jugaad to Justice: Endemic Corruption and the Possibility of an Indian Spring"
- Authors: Amar Doshi, Akshay Khanna, Vidyalakshmi Mahadevan, Nachiketa Rao, Nimish Shukla (Lauder Institute, Class of 2015)
- Publication: Knowledge at Wharton (The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania)
- Date: 2013-12-20
- URL: https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/jugaad-justice-endemic-corruption-possibility-indian-spring/
- Accessed: 2026-09-03
- Type: secondary (business-school-affiliated student/staff publication); critical stance on jugaad's relationship to corruption.
Extract
Defines jugaad as "an improvised arrangement or work-around used to overcome a lack of resources," framed as enabling Indian entrepreneurial success despite systemic obstacles — but with "a troubling dimension."
A cited survey statistic: "81% say the main reason for their success is jugaad, the ability to find an innovative way around prohibitive rules" (the survey's own source/methodology is not detailed in the extract obtained).
A strong official condemnation, directly quoted: Montek Singh Ahluwalia, then vice-chairman of India's Planning Commission, stated "jugaad as we know it is not a necessary evil; it is purely an evil that needs to be stamped out" — a rare instance of a senior Indian government economic official rejecting the concept outright, in contrast to the ambivalent-to-positive framing found in most business and popular sources on this project's file.
A specific corruption mechanism named: "Why build a good road that would last years if you can bribe officials to accept quick-fix substandard work" — jugaad-as-improvisation blurring directly into jugaad-as-bribery.
Central thesis: jugaad enables individual and business success by working around India's institutional and governance obstacles, but this same workaround culture becomes structurally intertwined with corrupt practice, substituting informal fixes for transparent, accountable governance.
Gaps
- The 81% survey statistic's underlying study (sample, methodology) is not given in the extract obtained; treat as reported, not verified.
- Ahluwalia's quote is not further contextualized (the speech/interview it is drawn from is not named).