Tenure, Diversity and Commitment: Community Participation for Urban Service Provision

Authors:
  • SLSomik V Lall
    Somik V Lall
  • UDUwe Deichmann
    Uwe Deichmann
  • MLMattias Ka Lundberg
    Mattias Ka Lundberg
  • NCNazmul Chaudhury
    Nazmul Chaudhury
Publisher website
Google Scholar
Abstract
What factors influence community participation in the delivery of urban services? In particular, does security of tenure enhance the probability of participation as it provides individuals with incentives to act collectively in pursuit of a common objective? In addition, are collective efforts less likely to succeed when there is a high degree of heterogeneity in culture or endowments among community members? We use household level survey data for Bangalore, India, to show that tenure security has a significant impact on the willingness of residents to participate even when neighbourhoods are diverse in terms of their cultural background and welfare status. Our findings suggest that participation is possible in heterogeneous communities when participation is a means to a common objective and not a goal in itself.