A survey of citizens of Bangalor-e asked what they thought of the public utilities and related agencies that delivered the city3 essential services. The survey findings shed light on the state of the public services in Bangalore and show how “voice” mechanisms can be used to demand better sewice and greater accountability from public sewice suppliers.

Evaluating Public Services: A Case Study on Bangalore, India Samuel Paul

The efficiency and effectiveness of public services in a country are important determinants of the productivity, progress, and quality of life of its people. Industry and commerce cannot rhrive and expand when infrastructure services such as power, water, traysport, municipal services, and communications are inadequate and inefficient. Entrepreneurs tend to incur high costs and to avoid long-term commitments when faced with such problems. Governments con- trol and supemse important infrastructure sectors not only because of the large-scale nature of their operations and the immense funds required to run them but also because the public and often monopolistic nature of the semces necessitates careful regulation and monitoring. That more than 50 percent of the public investment in India’s Eighth Five Year Plan is devoted to infrastruc- ture sectors is not surprising. This chapter refers to the services of these sec- tors as “public services” and the service provideis and utilities involved as “public agencies.”

F’ublic services in the urban areas of India are wideIy believed to be unsat- isfactory and for the most part deteriorating. They are managed and regulated by authorities and corporations established by the government. As public agen- cies, they operate under certain political and administrative constraints that often do not apply to private enterprises of similar size. In many cases, the rapid expansion of urban areas has added to their burden without a corre- sponding expansion of resources. But the poor performance of these agencies

An earlier version of his paper appeared in Economzc and Political Weekly of lndia.

NEW PlRfCTIONS TOR E\;ALUATION, no 67 Pall 1995 Q Jossey Bass Publ~shcrs 155

EVALUATING PLJBLK SERVlCES 165

can be made in the short run, reforms in the selection and training of staff, incentives for staff, supervision and monitoring, and measuring devices and accountability at all levels may be needed to resolve the problem. When sys- temic reforms are put in place, the magnitude of individual complaints should decline.

Reference Paul, S. ‘~Accountabihty in Public Semces: Exit, Voice and Control.” World Development,

July 1992.

SAMUEL RWL i s chairman of the Public Affairs Center, Bangalore, India.