The book provides an insight into the urban governance in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad in the context of pre- and post-74th Constitutional Amendment Act in the state of Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. The level of decentralized governance is addressed with the transfer of powers to the municipal corporations of the two cities. By selecting two different case studies, it is shown how the decentralized model of urban governance gets translated on ground in different contexts and what kind of commonalities as well as particularities emerge. The role of civil society in the participatory governance in a traditional place where participation is rooted since pre-independence period and role of e-governance in the economically advanced state bring a difference in the metropolitan governance. The book emphasizes on presence or absence of attributes of governance, i.e. efficiency, effectiveness, accountability, responsiveness, transparency and bureaucratic hurdles in governance at the city level. The attainment of these attributes necessarily warrants involvement of several actors and stakeholders – state, NGOs and people – placed in an inclusive as well as interactive framework.
The book adopts a triangular framework of reference in which various stakeholders, i.e. state officials, councillors, NGOs and citizens are interfaced on issues related to urban governance. The different kind of model of urban governance has emerged bringing out differences in their role in metropolitan governance. The book concludes suggesting the ways to develop an appropriate institutional structure for effective delivery of municipal services.
Metropolitan Governance is an indispensable book for researchers, educators, policy makers, and government bodies interested in understanding metropolitan governance. The participatory metropolitan governance would be of interest to the students of sociology, social work and geography. The students of public administration would find it useful to study the decentralisation of powers from centre to state to local-level government. For academicians engaged in service delivery in metropolitan areas, it brings in clarity regarding role of varied stakeholders in governance.
Metropolitan Governance: Cases of Ahmedabad and Hyderabad
- Vinita Yadav