Participatory Governance in Urban Management and the Shifting Geometry of Power in Mumbai |
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| Authors: | Marie‐Hélène Zérah |
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| Affiliation: | is a Researcher with the Institute of Research for Development (Paris). She is currently based at the Centre de Sciences Humaines (2, Aurangzeb Road, New Delhi 110 011, India) to head the Urban Dynamics Department. She has worked in the area of urban services in Indian cities and published a book on water access in Delhi. Her recent research interests concern the shifts in urban governance in India and the ongoing transformations of Mumbai. |
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| Abstract: | This article questions the participatory dimension of urban governance in Mumbai. Based on surveys of a number of participatory projects for urban services, it compares the differentiated impacts of participation in middle‐class colonies with those in slums. Results demonstrate that changing citizen–government relationships have led to the empowerment of the middle and upper middle class who harness the potential of new ‘invited space’ to expand their claims on the city and political space. In contrast, the poor end up on the losing side as NGOs function more as contracted agents of the State than as representatives of the poor. Direct community participation empowers influential community members, small private entrepreneurs and middlemen, and contributes to labour informalization. Ultimately, these processes consolidate a form of ‘governing beyond the State’ that promotes a managerial vision of participation and leads to double standards of citizenship. |
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