{"title":"Governance by Patching: A Comparative Analysis of Adaptive Policy Implementation","authors":"Rajesh Veeraraghavan, Atul Pokharel","doi":"10.1007/s12116-024-09425-3","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p>Through a comparative case study, we develop the theory of top-down, iterative and fine-grained state planning and implementation called <i>governance by patching</i>. By patching, state institutions can repeatedly change plans based on local information during implementation. We analyze two surprising examples of this understudied mechanism in a prototypical highly centralized state that would be least likely to display this dynamism. First, the Indian Supreme Court engaged in responsive implementation to convert passenger-carrying vehicles in Delhi to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), a clean fuel. Second, the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh successfully implemented a rural right-to-work program, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), using digital technology. They show how patching occurs over different time scales, within a hierarchical organization, as well as between organizations, and in both rural and urban settings. Governance by patching illustrates dynamism within centralized state institutions without requiring institutional changes.</p>","PeriodicalId":47488,"journal":{"name":"Studies in Comparative International Development","volume":"89 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-04-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Studies in Comparative International Development","FirstCategoryId":"90","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s12116-024-09425-3","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"DEVELOPMENT STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Through a comparative case study, we develop the theory of top-down, iterative and fine-grained state planning and implementation called governance by patching. By patching, state institutions can repeatedly change plans based on local information during implementation. We analyze two surprising examples of this understudied mechanism in a prototypical highly centralized state that would be least likely to display this dynamism. First, the Indian Supreme Court engaged in responsive implementation to convert passenger-carrying vehicles in Delhi to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), a clean fuel. Second, the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh successfully implemented a rural right-to-work program, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), using digital technology. They show how patching occurs over different time scales, within a hierarchical organization, as well as between organizations, and in both rural and urban settings. Governance by patching illustrates dynamism within centralized state institutions without requiring institutional changes.
期刊介绍:
Studies in Comparative International Development (SCID) is an interdisciplinary journal that addresses issues concerning political, social, economic, and environmental change in local, national, and international contexts. Among its major emphasis are political and state institutions; the effects of a changing international economy; political-economic models of growth and distribution; and the transformation of social structure and culture.The journal has a tradition of presenting critical and innovative analytical perspectives that challenge prevailing orthodoxies. It publishes original research articles on the developing world and is open to all theoretical and methodical approaches.