tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043138489010794057.post2672634011398950766..comments2024-03-27T15:57:09.192+05:30Comments on Urbanomics: Addressing civic issues - limits of regulation and enforcementUrbanomicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16956198290294771298noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043138489010794057.post-41924989794783054742011-01-09T00:00:12.240+05:302011-01-09T00:00:12.240+05:30thanks for all the comments.
KP, interesting soci...thanks for all the comments.<br /><br />KP, interesting sociological observation, and i agree with you. one of the reasons for the neglect of quality in public assets in India can be traced to the political need to cover as many numbers as possible with scarce resources (you try to cover as many areas as possible with roads, and so compromise on quality, in many ways). <br /><br />sai sir, i agree with the absolute pre-requisite of tough enforcement. positive incentives work at the margins, not in achieving wholesale behavioural/attitudinal channges.Urbanomicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16956198290294771298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043138489010794057.post-24377386532881994002011-01-08T10:16:02.399+05:302011-01-08T10:16:02.399+05:30I think we cannot do away with tough enforcement. ...I think we cannot do away with tough enforcement. It is the primary instrument of getting on with the addressing the issue raised.<br /><br />As u are aware, a lot of folks feel that awareness campaigns would do the job. An awareness campaign and the process of educating the public could certainly be a good beginning and allow the idea of forthcoming regulation settle into the minds of people. I do not think that positive incentives are likely to work in this case.<br /><br />The effort involved in making positive incentives actually work is too large and is not possible to replicate in india.Sai Prasadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043138489010794057.post-56434350657005131252011-01-06T22:06:08.604+05:302011-01-06T22:06:08.604+05:30Very well written!
The very very long route would...Very well written!<br /><br />The very very long route would be improve the education.Jayanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05701160771428326179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043138489010794057.post-36003596131113101562011-01-05T19:31:58.785+05:302011-01-05T19:31:58.785+05:30Nice article.
I wonder if you have had a chance t...Nice article. <br />I wonder if you have had a chance to see www.theuglyindian.com, which takes a slightly different approach to the same civic issues.The Ugly Indianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08716374520382145645noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043138489010794057.post-26599724308557098292011-01-05T14:31:18.965+05:302011-01-05T14:31:18.965+05:30Dear Gulzar,
A nice post and an optimistic piece ...Dear Gulzar,<br /><br />A nice post and an optimistic piece on Divya Nahenders work.<br /><br />Clearly initiative cannot be replaced purely by incentive and human behavior controlled so narrowly. If that were the case the agency of incentive (/disincentive) alone would suffice as a solution to all problems. <br /><br />The difference between being a leader and manager (till the two roles were conflated by every average management theorist and HBR) - is leaders drive opinion and create or represent the social milieu they strive to signify. Managers working in an environment suitably constrained (positively) with incentive - hardly qualify, in my view.<br /><br />Tougher still is grassroots leadership, because it has very little by way of glory ... at least in India ... and hope this will change.<br /><br />Any facility with the word "public" is mostly avoidable –and your example of public rest rooms is on top of the list. There is a subtle bias here - because we are a society that measures class by cash, our expectation that restrooms in airports will be better than restrooms at bus stands (terminus) – does not evoke any feelings of discrimination.<br /><br />Extending this to education – where we expect a “corporation” school to be underfunded and leaking / drab / and lacking facilities – does not challenge our sense of what should be the norm – for it satisfies our biases. <br /><br />Another example - state slum clearance boards - produce miserable housing, because they suffer from similar notions - apart from the omnipresent corruption etc.,<br /><br />I could be wrong, but I suspect that even the provisioning of budgets for public facilities like restrooms is made with the expectation of producing low quality facilities.<br /><br />Contrast this with a capitalistic society ( state capitalism to be clear) like Singapore, that is egalitarian in the provision of public services like restrooms / transport / water / parks – all of the highest quality irrespective of who it is catering to. <br /><br />Underlying this is a consumerist society that believes in “value” based price discrimination. Both of these go hand-in-hand, but in the public arena there are no glaring inequities. <br /><br />I credit that to a fine balance provided by Lee Kuan Yew – balancing both the capitalist and socialistic leanings of the early leaders of Singapore. <br /><br />The government meeting the basic needs with high quality infrastructure, forcing aspirational spending to be on goods and services of even higher quality.<br /><br />Politicians should understand civic messaging from Singapore, where a under-developed country with miserable infrastructure in the 60’s was transformed largely by civic messaging driven by politicians – and the bureaucrats followed.<br /><br />Politicians solely focused on awarding contracts – with no underlying message of purpose or directions – are only inflated managers – and mediocre managers at best. Without the capability to inspire the country, politicians behaving liked bureaucrats on steroids – are neither.<br /><br />In the absence of any enabling circumstances – people like Divya –grassroots leaders stand out.<br /><br />regards,KP.KPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06553866275918658507noreply@blogger.com