Work

When NPM Meets Local Politics: Political Economy of Urban Water Supply Reforms in India

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT This study examines whether political alignment—defined as elected representatives at different tiers of government belonging to the same political party or coalition—and political competition shape the implementation and performance of a New Public Management (NPM)‐based urban water supply reform in Nagpur, India. We capture reform implementation using status of capital works and performance is evaluated through indicators of financial sustainability—measured by households' willingness to pay (WTP) water tariffs—and water service delivery outcomes. We capture political alignment and political competition by matching municipal election data with a unique household survey and estimate outcomes using multinomial logit and inverse probability weighted regressions. The findings show that political alignment and higher political competition are associated with faster completion of capital works and improved service delivery. However, these gains coexist with lower WTP water tariffs. Thus, NPM‐oriented reforms remain deeply embedded in local political contexts in developing countries with politics simultaneously enabling implementation and service delivery, and constraining financial sustainability.

Source: Public Administration and Development

DOI: 10.1002/pad.70127

Authors: Namrata Chindarkar, Ms. Ruchira Ghosh

Institutions: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Language: English

Topic: Water Governance and Infrastructure

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Clean water and sanitation, Peace, justice, and strong institutions, Sustainable cities and communities

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad