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Cities are confronting problems of straining infrastructure, housing shortages and environmental issues. Most of the urban growth is taking place in small cities and intermediate towns, exacerbating inequalities and urban poverty. According to a United Nations report, in 2025, an estimated 1.1 billion urban residents lived in slums or slum-like conditions, and over the next 30 years, an additional 2 billion people are expected to live in such settlements, mostly in developing countries. Similarly, in the Global South, public leaders are looking forward to inclusive approaches and innovative frameworks to build resilient, inclusive and just societies for all. “Smart governance” can potentially expand “inclusivity” through decentralization, data-driven decision-making, and citizen participation, but it can also reinforce historical inequities if reforms are designed in technocratic silos without confronting entrenched social and political power structures. Thus, situating smart governance in South Asia requires a critical lens that emphasizes justice-oriented digital inclusion, ensuring that innovations genuinely enhance the capabilities and dignity of marginalized groups rather than entrenching existing divides. This study attempts to evaluate the significant role of decentralized governing frameworks and inclusive approaches in enabling “smart governance” in local settings. We attempted to examine and evaluate the leading successful cases from the Global South and South Asia that implemented inclusive “digital policies” to make their public services more effective, transparent and accessible. The case selection is based entirely on the extensive thematic analysis of this study. We evaluated key themes related to smart governance, social justice, SDG 11—sustainable cities and communities, neo-institutional governing frameworks, Internet of Things (IoT) things/artificial intelligence (AI), localized innovative solutions and equity. The significant theoretical and practical assessments of these cases will be insightful for the public leaders to adopt, improvise and implement policy practices in their country-specific settings.

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Smart Governance and the Equity Imperative in South Asia: Promise, Practice, and Institutional Contradictions

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  • 发表日期：

    2026年

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  • Amna Siddique

摘要

Cities are confronting problems of straining infrastructure, housing shortages and environmental issues. Most of the urban growth is taking place in small cities and intermediate towns, exacerbating inequalities and urban poverty. According to a United Nations report, in 2025, an estimated 1.1 billion urban residents lived in slums or slum-like conditions, and over the next 30 years, an additional 2 billion people are expected to live in such settlements, mostly in developing countries. Similarly, in the Global South, public leaders are looking forward to inclusive approaches and innovative frameworks to build resilient, inclusive and just societies for all. “Smart governance” can potentially expand “inclusivity” through decentralization, data-driven decision-making, and citizen participation, but it can also reinforce historical inequities if reforms are designed in technocratic silos without confronting entrenched social and political power structures. Thus, situating smart governance in South Asia requires a critical lens that emphasizes justice-oriented digital inclusion, ensuring that innovations genuinely enhance the capabilities and dignity of marginalized groups rather than entrenching existing divides. This study attempts to evaluate the significant role of decentralized governing frameworks and inclusive approaches in enabling “smart governance” in local settings. We attempted to examine and evaluate the leading successful cases from the Global South and South Asia that implemented inclusive “digital policies” to make their public services more effective, transparent and accessible. The case selection is based entirely on the extensive thematic analysis of this study. We evaluated key themes related to smart governance, social justice, SDG 11—sustainable cities and communities, neo-institutional governing frameworks, Internet of Things (IoT) things/artificial intelligence (AI), localized innovative solutions and equity. The significant theoretical and practical assessments of these cases will be insightful for the public leaders to adopt, improvise and implement policy practices in their country-specific settings.