Why we need participatory governance in Infrastructure

Infrastructure is the skeleton upon which the economy is built. Energy, water, sewerage and other utilities provide the fuel and take away the waste; roads, bridges, railways, ports, and broadband cables facilitate the movement of goods that is the essence of commerce; and town halls, leisure centres, parks are the sites on which the public sphere is manifested. So why don't we talk more about this critical aspect of our world? Even more pertinently, why don't we talk about how it is governed? Infrastructure touches of everyone's lives in some way, so perhaps we should have people more heavily involved in its design, implementation, and management. Or is that too unwieldy? Too idealistic? Perhaps it would be better to leave the infrastructure domain to technical analysts able to manage all its complexities for the common good. In this episode, ePODstemology host Dr Mark Fabian from Cambridge University is joined by Dr Rehema Msulwa, also from Cambridge, who helps us navigate the dynamic terrain of infrastructure policy, with an especial focus on how we can involve local voices to improve outcomes.   

https://www.bennettinstitute.cam.ac.uk/about-us/team/rehema-msulwa/ 

https://stateup.co/sit-down-with-stateup-dr-rehema-msulwa/

https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/AMBPP.2018.17726abstract 

https://journals.aom.org/doi/abs/10.5465/ambpp.2017.10284abstract