Public Goods Provision in Urban Areas: Evidence from South Asian Cities

Session Submission Type: Full Paper Panel

Session Description

More than 600 million South Asians live in cities. As rapid economic growth and migration continues to fuel urbanization in the region, another 250 residents (or more than the entire population of Mexico) are expected to be added to its burgeoning cities in the next 15 years. A significant share of this population lives in poverty and substandard living conditions. High levels of ethnic diversity, historically weak state stations, and patronage politics in cities in South Asia not only present unique challenges for urban development, but also provide an opportunity to test some of the dominant theories on public goods provision. The papers in this panel examine the determinants of urban service delivery in the context of South Asia.

The first paper, based on a survey experiment in Hindu and Muslim slum settlements in Delhi, examines how norms of social accountability influences citizen preference for cooperation in public goods. It finds that minority Muslim groups are more likely to respond positively to social accountability pressures as compared to majority Hindus. The second paper also examines the role of identity in political preferences of citizens. Based on descriptive and experimental evidence from Karachi, the paper paradoxically finds that voters continue to support poorly performing politicians if they place a higher value on the representation of their ethnic groups. The third paper utilizes survey data on Mumbai to examine the conditions under which citizens demand better services from the state. It finds citizens who received government benefits are more likely to further demand improvement in service. Finally, the fourth paper examines claim-making from the perspective of political representatives. Based on experimental evidence from two cities in north India, the paper explores how the social and political background of the brokers influences the politician’s responsiveness to their demands.

Sub Unit

• DIVISION 12: Comparative Politics in Developing Countries

Chair

• Eduardo Moncada Barnard College, Columbia University

Discussants

• Alison E. Post University of California, Berkeley

• Shelby Grossman Stanford University

Individual Presentations

• Intergroup Cooperation and Public Goods Provision in India - Poulomi Chakrabarti, Queen's University; Melani Cammett, Harvard University; David Alexander Romney, Harvard University

• Within-Group Variation in Support for Ethnic Representation - Mashail Aman Malik, Stanford University

• When do Welfare Beneficiaries Demand Better Services? Evidence from Mumbai - Tanu Kumar, University of California, Berkeley

• Community Claims and Political Responsiveness in Urban India - Tariq Thachil, Vanderbilt University; Adam Michael Auerbach, American University-SIS