Tightly Bound, Loosely Interpreted: Meta-Governance and Local Institutional Adaptation in the Implementation of the Smart Cities Mission India

This paper explores the implementation of the Indian Government’s Smart Cities Mission in four cities. The Mission was to be delivered through a tightly specified governance form, known as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), although its function (smart urban renewal) was left more open. The national reform was, however, silent on how the SPV would work within the pre-existing network of actors. Using interviews and documentary analysis, the paper shows how the embedding of SPVs within pre-existing governance networks was strongly shaped by state-level decisions and local institutional dynamics. These insights open up new avenues for research into multi-level meta-governance.

本文探讨了印度政府的智慧城市使命在四个城市的实施情况。该使命本应通过一种严格规定的治理形式来实现，即特殊目的机构（SPV），尽管其职能（智能城市更新）的界定更为宽泛。然而，这项全国性改革对于特殊目的机构如何在既有的参与者网络中运作却未作说明。通过访谈和文献分析，本文表明特殊目的机构在既有治理网络中的嵌入是如何受到邦级决策和地方制度动态的强烈影响。这些见解为多层次元治理的研究开辟了新的途径。