The state-sponsored development has been a failure. Therefore, a closer collaboration between the public and private sectors is the need of the hour. The book talks about the type of collaborative effort which is practical and yielding. The author terms this as 'critical collaboration' - a working relationship in which the two sides retain their individuality while participating as partners both in policy formulation and implementation. It is called 'critical' because here the nongovernmental organisation (NGO) acts as a critic of the government organisation . While presenting case studies of five NGOs working in Tamil Nadu, the book identifies factors that are most important towards establishing 'critical collaboration'.