Metropolitan Governance: Case Studies of Ahmedabad and Hyderabad

The book focuses on the urban governance 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 being studied with the transfer of functional and financial powers to the municipal corporations of Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. By selecting two case studies from differing locations, an attempt has been made to see how the decentralised 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 emphasises 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 present study adopts a triangular framework of reference in which various stakeholders, i.e. state officials, elected representatives (councillors), NGOs/CBOs 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 understanding the governance of metropolitan cities. The book covers an insight into the governance in Ahmedabad and Hyderabad. The participatory metropolitan governance is also 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.