Crisis in Ubran Government: A Study of Decision-Making

The book analyses both the decision-making mechanism and process as well as the interaction between the two in the Poona Municipal Corporation. The analysis in the book, therefore, implicitly enlightens the political, governmental and administrative processes in a growing city of India. The decision-making in the various committees and the General Body (?The Corporation?) of the Poona Municipal Corporation relating to various functions? civic, welfare and public utility? is studied in depth through content analysis, observation, interviews, discussions and perusal of records. The interactions among the Mayor, Chairmen and members of the Committees and the Corporators as well as between them and the administrative officials, including the Municipal Commissioner, are vividly highlighted in the study. The limitations of the decision-making capabilities of the urban government due to the financial and functional constraints, as also due to the absence of adequate policy direction, coherence and co-ordination, are stressed. Various alternatives to the existing model of urban governmental structures are also discussed to bring about improvement in their efficiency, effectiveness and political accountability.
The research study is, in sum, a unique contribution to the scarce literature on the decision-making process in urban Government in India.