Entrepreneurial governance in a resilient city: Bengaluru, India

Abstract

Cities are considered as engines of economic growth. As the citizens and numerous private enterprises contribute for the city ‘growth’, institutional structures responsible for the planning, management and administration of the city have transformed ‘entrepreneurial’ particularly in the matters of governance. While the matters of governance are legislated by the political, the executive is responsible for its implementation. This chapter traces the role of emerging political and bureaucratic entrepreneurship in city governance. The political entrepreneurship is reflected in terms of creation of the extra-constitutional bodies to ‘manage’/‘advice’ on city affairs apart from effecting certain amendments to the legislations, thereby facilitating greater role for the state instead of urban local bodies. The bureaucratic entrepreneurship is evident from the numerous ‘parastatals’ that have been spun by the bureaucracy dwelling into the functions of urban local bodies. On subsequent analysis, the chapter draws two key conclusions foremost, a situation of ‘state-capture’ exists where the ‘state’ wrests significant power and influence over all the urban local bodies substantially limiting their autonomy-be it in terms of resources, planning or delivery of services like water supply and energy. Secondly, it explores how ‘bureaucratic entrepreneurship’ has emerged as a key means for city governance as against strengthening the urban local bodies by enhancing their capacity and resources. Hence, at times, it appears that both political and bureaucratic systems work in tandem evolving a unique entrepreneurial governance mechanism in the city of Bengaluru. Therefore, the chapter highlights and challenges the city governance as effected by the ‘entrepreneurialism’.