Papers by Anupama Mann
Oxford Analytica
The central government has embarked on a major plan to overhaul urban public transport, with the ... more The central government has embarked on a major plan to overhaul urban public transport, with the Ministry of Urban Development offering to pay 30% of the cost of establishing metro rail in all cities with a population of over 2 million. It has also offered financial assistance in the preparation of Detailed Project Reports by state governments and local authorities. Such projects promise major gains at a time when the infrastructure deficit is slowing growth and voter demands for improved urban transport are rising.
Environment and Urbanization Asia, 2011
In this article we attempt to develop an institutional theoretic framework for examining the biog... more In this article we attempt to develop an institutional theoretic framework for examining the biography of a megaproject—the recently implemented Delhi metrorail system. We use Hirschman’s arguments on the trait-taking and trait-making aspects of development projects to understand how the project interacted with its institutional conditions especially in the context of transfer of Western planning technology to the developing world.
84 LEAVES: ILL., MAPS; INCLUDES BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES. CALIFORNIA. METRANS TRANSPORTATION CE... more 84 LEAVES: ILL., MAPS; INCLUDES BIBLIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES. CALIFORNIA. METRANS TRANSPORTATION CENTER. UNIVERSITY TRANSPORTATION CENTERS PROGRAM (US) COVER TITLE. SPONSORED BY THE US DEPT. OF ...
Thesis Chapters by Anupama Mann
University of Southern California, 2009
'A Megaproject Matrix: Ideology, Discourse and Regulation in the Delhi Metro Rail' is a case stud... more 'A Megaproject Matrix: Ideology, Discourse and Regulation in the Delhi Metro Rail' is a case study based research project and contributes to the literature on the political economy of development, planning in developing countries and megaprojects, in particular Albert O. Hirschman's study of development projects. It examines through media discourse, the Delhi Metro Rail, a transportation megaproject being implemented in Delhi, the capital of India. The research is based on the extensive coverage that the project has received since 1996 by the prolific Indian newspapers as well as government documents, informal interviews, photos and videos. The study covers a wide range of issues- the relationship between India's political ideology and the choice of the megaproject, the implications of the foreign loan and its effect on domestic funding, the transformation in the institutional frameworks of public projects towards privatization and effects on project transparency and accountability, political opportunism for credit of the project, struggle over governance reform between the national and local governments, effect on transport policy and projects at the local and national levels, struggle between domestic and foreign industry as India liberalizes its economy, the meaning of environmental impact, lack of a social security network as well as social struggle and its affect on policy, existing class barriers and media bias and shortcomings of the project design. Going beyond the immediate transportation solution that the project seeks to fulfill or its suitability based on a cost benefit analysis, the study concludes that the detailed research of a megaproject is crucial for understanding political, economic, social and cultural changes undergoing in a nation as the megaproject affects and is affected by the changing environment over an extended period of time. Political ideology determines the choice of a megaproject but the way a nation state responds to the inherent problems of such a choice can determine the direction of future development. Therefore the examination of a megaproject as it progresses can be used to reveal problems at various levels and to influence regulation and action towards equitable social benefit.
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Papers by Anupama Mann
Thesis Chapters by Anupama Mann