Reliance on decentralization has meant that central and local governments across the globe have increased their dependence on non-public provision of key public services. This trend is growing in the slum-upgrading sector in the developing world, where nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and local civil society groups have taken on roles not only as community organizers but also as developers of large-scale public service and housing projects. In India, where slums now account for 25 percent of all urban housing, the Ahmedabad Slum Networking Program (SNP) is frequently cited for "best-practices" in decentralized service delivery, where the local government relies heavily on local community-based organizations (CBOs) to provide and maintain infrastructure in their neighborhoods. Researchers and decision makers still know little about the socio-spatial dimensions that impede CBOs or enable them to survive, however, especially with reductions in funding, organizational training by NGOs, or local government incentives to participate. To address this gap, this doctoral dissertation research project begins with the assumption that organizational structures -- especially with respect to gendered leadership -- lead to different abilities to make choices and act effectively. The primary hypothesis on which the doctoral candidate will focus her research is that it is this ability to make choices and act on them that determines whether a community-based organization remains active or becomes defunct. The student will employ a mixed methods approach of informational interviews with key informants, in-depth interviews with NGO management and field staff, and a survey of CBO officers and general committee members to gather critical information needed to test this hypothesis.
Despite critical research regarding the disconnect between the benefits of anti-poverty work and gender-specific empowerment programs, little research has focused on how this disconnect also can impact development at the intermediate scale of community-based civil society institutions. Much existing research has focused on large structural forces, such as the globalizing economy, or micro-level individual behavior, such as whether women feel empowered by participating in programs. By focusing directly on community institutions, this project will enhance basic understanding of the ways that individual behavior and structural forces influence the sustainability of local community-based organizations. Consequently, this research will address important conceptual gaps regarding community-based institutions. In addition to potential theoretical contributions, the study results will be useful to practitioners and policy makers by highlighting the potential strengths and pitfalls of community-based organizations for providing urban social service and infrastructure provision over both the shorter and longer terms. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career. This award to support research in India is jointly supported The NSF Geography and Spatial Sciences Program and the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering.
