Governance by Patching: A Comparative Analysis of Adaptive Policy Implementation

Through a comparative case study, we develop the theory of top-down, iterative and fine-grained state planning and implementation called governance by patching. By patching, state institutions can repeatedly change plans based on local information during implementation. We analyze two surprising examples of this understudied mechanism in a prototypical highly centralized state that would be least likely to display this dynamism. First, the Indian Supreme Court engaged in responsive implementation to convert passenger-carrying vehicles in Delhi to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG), a clean fuel. Second, the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh successfully implemented a rural right-to-work program, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), using digital technology. They show how patching occurs over different time scales, within a hierarchical organization, as well as between organizations, and in both rural and urban settings. Governance by patching illustrates dynamism within centralized state institutions without requiring institutional changes.