The Democratic Prospects of Digital Urban Futures: Lessons from India’s Smart Cities Mission
This paper explains the potential implications of digital interventions for social accountability through the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) in India. The SCM represents India’s transition to a new political economy based on rapid urbanization and wide-scale application of digital technology to reform p...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte Ltd.
2022-07-01
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| Series: | The Journal of Indian and Asian Studies |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S2717541322400071 |
| _version_ | 1797962021806800896 |
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| author | IPSHITA BASU RIPIN KALRA |
| author_facet | IPSHITA BASU RIPIN KALRA |
| author_sort | IPSHITA BASU |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This paper explains the potential implications of digital interventions for social accountability through the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) in India. The SCM represents India’s transition to a new political economy based on rapid urbanization and wide-scale application of digital technology to reform public service delivery while simultaneously creating new markets for urban transformation. Within this wider context, the paper considers the future of democratic practices in urban governance. We argue that while citizen-led accountability practices were trialed by civil society organizations since 1990s, the SCM presented unique opportunity and challenge to institutionalize these tools within the framework of multi-scalar governance — between central-, state- and local-level institutions and between communities, private vendors and public bodies. Zooming into the four smart city projects — Indore, Kakinada, Panaji and Ranchi — we explain how each city engaged with citizen groups, communities and civil society and what their experiences tell us about the prospects and challenges of democratizing digital urban futures. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T01:06:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ad8202b68b9040dd80fa77b10219b92b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2717-5413 2717-5766 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T01:06:47Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte Ltd. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Journal of Indian and Asian Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-ad8202b68b9040dd80fa77b10219b92b2023-01-04T12:00:45ZengWorld Scientific Publishing Co. Pte Ltd.The Journal of Indian and Asian Studies2717-54132717-57662022-07-01030210.1142/S2717541322400071The Democratic Prospects of Digital Urban Futures: Lessons from India’s Smart Cities MissionIPSHITA BASURIPIN KALRAThis paper explains the potential implications of digital interventions for social accountability through the Smart Cities Mission (SCM) in India. The SCM represents India’s transition to a new political economy based on rapid urbanization and wide-scale application of digital technology to reform public service delivery while simultaneously creating new markets for urban transformation. Within this wider context, the paper considers the future of democratic practices in urban governance. We argue that while citizen-led accountability practices were trialed by civil society organizations since 1990s, the SCM presented unique opportunity and challenge to institutionalize these tools within the framework of multi-scalar governance — between central-, state- and local-level institutions and between communities, private vendors and public bodies. Zooming into the four smart city projects — Indore, Kakinada, Panaji and Ranchi — we explain how each city engaged with citizen groups, communities and civil society and what their experiences tell us about the prospects and challenges of democratizing digital urban futures.https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S2717541322400071Digitised GovernanceUrban DevelopmentSocial AccountabilitySmart CitiesIndia |
| spellingShingle | IPSHITA BASU RIPIN KALRA The Democratic Prospects of Digital Urban Futures: Lessons from India’s Smart Cities Mission The Journal of Indian and Asian Studies Digitised Governance Urban Development Social Accountability Smart Cities India |
| title | The Democratic Prospects of Digital Urban Futures: Lessons from India’s Smart Cities Mission |
| title_full | The Democratic Prospects of Digital Urban Futures: Lessons from India’s Smart Cities Mission |
| title_fullStr | The Democratic Prospects of Digital Urban Futures: Lessons from India’s Smart Cities Mission |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Democratic Prospects of Digital Urban Futures: Lessons from India’s Smart Cities Mission |
| title_short | The Democratic Prospects of Digital Urban Futures: Lessons from India’s Smart Cities Mission |
| title_sort | democratic prospects of digital urban futures lessons from india s smart cities mission |
| topic | Digitised Governance Urban Development Social Accountability Smart Cities India |
| url | https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/S2717541322400071 |
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