ABSTRACT
Chapter 4 starts by discussing the political and academic debates surrounding developmental urban governance in more detail in order to situate its approach to the anthropology of policy. The chapter takes up two contentious issues – water cut-offs and women’s vulnerability – that activists consider to be key to creating critical spaces and opening up debates in which they might better voice and frame their demands. The argument presented here is that while institutionalised participation is weak, other popular modes of political action illustrate how activists function as brokers between residents and state actors, and challenge the local state’s policies and decision-making processes.
