ABSTRACT

This article uses an urban case from West Bengal, India, to reveal that people lacking socio-economic and cultural capital have marginal access to civic services provided by the municipality. This marginalisation is a product of the municipality’s highly inequitable approach to governance practices, where there is a deliberate aversion to government schemes, infrastructure, and developmental projects aimed at marginal groups. Almost three decades after decentralisation, the town provides no platforms for citizens to participate in local governance mechanisms, and there are no NGOs and community-based organisations present in local governance. As there is no one to voice the concerns of marginalised groups, a gradual trend of marginalisation continues to occur.

摘要

本文以印度西孟加拉邦的一个城市案例为例，该研究表明，缺乏社会经济和文化资本的人们只能获得该市提供的公民服务。这种边缘化是市政当局高度不平等的治理实践方法的产物，在这种做法中，人们蓄意反对针对边缘群体的政府计划，基础设施和发展项目。分权后将近三十年，该镇不再为公民提供参与地方治理机制的平台，地方治理中也没有非政府组织和社区组织。由于没有人说过边缘化群体的关切，因此边缘化的逐渐趋势继续发生。