عنوان

Voice, responsiveness and collaboration :

Number

TLets391240

Title Proper

Voice, responsiveness and collaboration :

General Material Designation

[Thesis]

First Statement of Responsibility

Jalal, Jennifer.

Title Proper by Another Author

democratic decentralisation and service delivery in two Indian cities.

Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.

University of Sussex

Date of Publication, Distribution, etc.

2002

Dissertation or thesis details and type of degree

Ph.D.

Body granting the degree

University of Sussex

Text preceding or following the note

2002

Text of Note

This thesis explores state-civil society relations with respect to urban services inthe context of democratic decentralisation. These issues are analysed through acomparative case study of approaches to improved services in the Indian citiesof Bangalore and Calcutta. Three main areas of focus in the thesis are a)relationships between citizens' voice and local government responsiveness; b)the implications of collaboration and partnership in urban service delivery; andc) the impact of broader socio-political factors on relations between serviceusers and service providers.At the national level, legislation attempting to revitalise local governmentthrough democratic decentralisation has had a range of consequences forurban service provision. These consequences are examined through threepaths towards improving service provision. The first, led by service users, isthrough traditional modes of political engagement and direct involvement inlocal community action groups. The second path, led by the local governmentservice providers is through internal reforms adopted to boost responsiveness.The third path is led by the collaborative efforts of service users and serviceproviders.The consequences of national legislative attempts at decentralisation havebeen markedly different in the two cities. Comparing the experience ofapproaches to improved service delivery in each, the thesis isolates the impactof local socio-political factors on municipal local governance. Demographiccharacteristics, the nature of political and administrative leadership, thecharacter of local government institutions and the status of civil society, allprove to be important determinants of the quality of service delivery.Neither Bangalore nor Calcutta have enjoyed dramatic improvements in urbanservices as a direct result of democratic decentralisation. The thesis argues,however, that the decentralisation process has created an environment moreconducive for dialogue between service users and providers: in which usershave the space to express their voice, and state actors are encouraged tolisten, acknowledge and respond.

Urban services; Bangalore; Calcutta; Governance

Jalal, Jennifer.

University of Sussex

Electronic name

p

[Thesis]

276903

a

Y