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<p>This research paper delves into the intricate role of political economy in shaping India’s flood management policies from the 1950s to the present day. While flood governance in India has been widely studied, the political-economy dimensions driving policy evolution remain insufficiently explored. Addressing this gap, the study employs a qualitative approach combining a systematic review of policy documents, government reports, and academic literature with 25 semi-structured interviews conducted with officials from the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and State Disaster Management Agencies (SDMAs), policy analysts, disaster managers, and subject experts. A structured, grounded theory informed coding, and phase-based chronological analysis maps major policy developments and interprets how political incentives, centre-state dynamics, and institutional capacities influenced shifts in flood management approaches over time. Over this period, India has witnessed significant shifts in its approach to flood management, influenced by various political-economic contexts. Initially, in the post-independence Nehruvian era, policies primarily emphasized structural measures aimed at economic gains. However, by the 1970s, the focus expanded to include non-structural measures and considerations of social and environmental impacts, spurred by burgeoning social and environmental movements. The 1990s, characterized by economic reforms, marked a shift towards emphasizing technological aspects and transitioning from centralized to decentralized community-driven approaches in flood management policies. Subsequently, around 2004–05, a paradigm shift occurred in India’s disaster management policies, driven by a confluence of political-economic factors. However, at the same time a number of political economic issues, especially the political consideration of popular demand, paucity of funds, center-state fiscal relation, and institutional inertia, create considerable challenges for flood management reform. Findings reveals that flood governance in India is shaped by persistent strain over resources allocation, uneven institutional capacity, exclusion of vulnerable communities from decision-making, and chronic coordination challenges across administrative and sectoral levels. The study further highlights distinctive constraints within the Indian federal context including centre-state fiscal asymmetries, institutional silos, limited technical capacity, fragmented responsibility between financing and implementation agencies, and weak engagement of local governments, all of which intensify vulnerabilities in flood-prone regions. Overall, the study demonstrates that political-economic drivers are central to understanding both the evolution and persistent limitations of flood management reforms in India.</p>

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Role of political economy in flood management policies and governance reforms in India

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年7月14日

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  • Prasoon Singh,
  • Sunny Mondal,
  • Vrinda Singh

摘要

This research paper delves into the intricate role of political economy in shaping India’s flood management policies from the 1950s to the present day. While flood governance in India has been widely studied, the political-economy dimensions driving policy evolution remain insufficiently explored. Addressing this gap, the study employs a qualitative approach combining a systematic review of policy documents, government reports, and academic literature with 25 semi-structured interviews conducted with officials from the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA) and State Disaster Management Agencies (SDMAs), policy analysts, disaster managers, and subject experts. A structured, grounded theory informed coding, and phase-based chronological analysis maps major policy developments and interprets how political incentives, centre-state dynamics, and institutional capacities influenced shifts in flood management approaches over time. Over this period, India has witnessed significant shifts in its approach to flood management, influenced by various political-economic contexts. Initially, in the post-independence Nehruvian era, policies primarily emphasized structural measures aimed at economic gains. However, by the 1970s, the focus expanded to include non-structural measures and considerations of social and environmental impacts, spurred by burgeoning social and environmental movements. The 1990s, characterized by economic reforms, marked a shift towards emphasizing technological aspects and transitioning from centralized to decentralized community-driven approaches in flood management policies. Subsequently, around 2004–05, a paradigm shift occurred in India’s disaster management policies, driven by a confluence of political-economic factors. However, at the same time a number of political economic issues, especially the political consideration of popular demand, paucity of funds, center-state fiscal relation, and institutional inertia, create considerable challenges for flood management reform. Findings reveals that flood governance in India is shaped by persistent strain over resources allocation, uneven institutional capacity, exclusion of vulnerable communities from decision-making, and chronic coordination challenges across administrative and sectoral levels. The study further highlights distinctive constraints within the Indian federal context including centre-state fiscal asymmetries, institutional silos, limited technical capacity, fragmented responsibility between financing and implementation agencies, and weak engagement of local governments, all of which intensify vulnerabilities in flood-prone regions. Overall, the study demonstrates that political-economic drivers are central to understanding both the evolution and persistent limitations of flood management reforms in India.