Conference Agenda

INTRODUCTION

Enhanced access to public service is core of good governance. However, accessing public service is a hassle for many citizens, especially for the poor and the marginalized. To address this issue, the national and the provincial governments in India adopted an “Action Plan for Effective and Responsive Governance”in 1997. Yet, public service delivery is to reach the desired effective and efficient level.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE

The research aimed to: (a) identify the services that mainly concerns the general public; (b) ascertain the initiatives taken by the government to improve public service delivery; (c) assess the challenges for effective and efficient public service delivery; and (d) draw a road map for the way forward.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The study involved desk research and literature review, and entailed (i) evaluation and analysis of: (a) legislative framework and provisions; (b) guidelines issued and initiatives taken by the national, the provincial and the local governments; and (ii) review of previous studies and government reports. The desk study was supplemented by interviewing citizens, especially the marginalized section, through a pre-formatted questionnaire to understand the extent and quality of services received, the issues, if any, and their satisfaction level.

STUDY FINDINGS

The study observed there has been a time-drawn process to improve public service delivery in India. The chronological sequence of this process is outlined below.

1) Initiatives were taken to establish Citizens’ Charters that prescribed the service standards and time limits for service delivery and avenues for grievance redress and a provision for independent scrutiny. The initiative started with sectors that have large public interface such as public distribution system, postal service, railways, etc. An independent evaluation of the working of the Citizens’ Charters revealed that the old bureaucratic procedures and the rigid attitude of the work force coupled with inadequate training and staff orientation, and lack of public awareness campaign about the Citizens’ Charters impeded the performance.

2) To provide strength to the Citizens’ Charters, a number of provincial governments enacted “Right to Public Service Delivery Act” (RTPSDA). It aimed to ensure efficient delivery of notified public services within a stipulated time period. RTPSDA is a good starting point for public administration to acknowledge its responsibility for time-bound effective service delivery. But, RTPSDA falls short in terms of enforcing an accountability eco-system.

3) To effectively implement the Citizens’ Charters and the RTPSDA, some provincial governments have introduced “Doorstep Delivery of Public Services”, which is a new means of engaging with citizens. While IT solutions are commonly used to drive better public service, what makes the initiative innovative is deployment of field staff.

Enhancing access to public service delivery is an on-going exercise. Governments need to continuosly strive to effectively and efficiently serve the citizens not only to meet but to exceed their expectations.

CONCLUSION

The paper provides a platform for researchers to further study and explore different effective ways to enhance public service delivery, especially in the developing economies.

With India’s urbanization accelerating rapidly, managing this growth to ensure balanced, sustainable development is crucial. Special Development Authorities (SDAs) are vital in addressing these challenges, particularly in counter-magnet cities and greenfield developments. SDAs guide organized growth, alleviate pressure on major cities and support balanced development. This paper examines the effectiveness of SDAs in influencing India’s urban landscape, focusing specifically on their roles and functions, their impact on urban development and how they compare to traditional development authorities. The study seeks to identify actionable improvements that can further enhance the performance of SDAs in Indian cities.

The objectives of this research include a thorough consolidation of roles and functions of SDAs, evaluating their impact on urban development and comparative analysis between SDAs and other urban authorities. The study considers global best practices to inform strategies in India. This study's scope is limited to SDAs that manage urban expansion in new developing region that are at a turning point in the development of organized and sustainable urban areas.

The theoretical framework of this study is built upon established urban planning theories, including concepts of decentralized governance, urban resilience, sustainable development, etc. These theories assess the effectiveness of SDAs, emphasizing the relationship between governance and urban outcomes. This framework facilitates the evaluation of SDAs' performance in terms of their ability to balance growth and sustainability while addressing the unique challenges posed by rapid urbanization.

This study employs a multifaceted methodology, including comparative evaluation with traditional authorities, case studies of SDAs and policy reviews. Data collection combines qualitative and quantitative methods, such as stakeholder surveys, interviews with SDA and urban planning officials, and urban development metric analysis. This approach provides a comprehensive understanding of SDA effectiveness and their urban contexts.

In conclusion, this study contributes significantly to the discourse on effective urban governance by providing recommendations for increasing the ability of SDAs. These include adopting adaptive policy frameworks that align SDAs with national urbanization goals, fostering stakeholder collaboration, and emphasizing sustainable growth. Ultimately, this research offers actionable insights that support India’s broader objectives of equitable urbanization. By enhancing the operational effectiveness of SDAs, the study aims to support a more balanced and resilient urban growth model that meets India’s complex and evolving urban needs, providing a pathway for sustainable and well-planned urban expansion in the country.

The governance of education through metrics has gained prominence in India, particularly in higher education institutions and schools, where performance management frameworks aim to standardize and improve quality. Metrics, while offering clarity and comparability, inherently prioritize certain aspects while obscuring others (Timmermans & Epstein, 2010). Similarly, the pursuit of convenience in metrics often compromises precision (Gal, 1999). Drawing on the broader literature on new public management practices (Hartley & Downe, 2007; Bovaird & Löffler, 2002), we examine how these frameworks manifest in India's education sector.

Our study, based on interviews with educators, an analysis of performance management practices in educational institutes, identifies three critical tensions in metric-driven governance: alignment, interdependency, and controllability. Improved alignment of goals and actions often reduces controllability; for instance, aligning metrics with broader social outcomes like education quality diminishes the control teachers have compared to metrics such as student absenteeism, which they can directly influence. Furthermore, metrics tied to organizational or social outcomes necessitate greater interdependency, requiring teams to work collaboratively, creating a triad of alignment, interdependency, and controllability that must be balanced.

The study highlights how attempts to improve accountability and performance through metrics often result in significant transaction costs and unintended consequences. These findings contribute to ongoing debates on the implications of metric-driven governance, calling for more nuanced and context-sensitive approaches to education governance in India.