Opposition windows in Delhi’s water utility privatization

Authors: Ashok Kumar, Nitin Singh, Anna Mdee, Shivani Singhal, and Jaime Amezaga

John Kingdon’s Multi-Stream Framework sheds light on the foundational conditions under which public policies get formulated and implemented. The coupling of the Problem, Policy, and Politics streams along with efforts by Policy Entrepreneurs opens the Opportunity Window for policy realization. Interpreting Kingdon’s MSF, a rich scholarship exists, which found evidence in support of this framework. Some instances of the opening up of multiple windows are found in MSF. However, two aspects remain unclear. First, what happens when multiple windows open, some of them could be opened by the opposing side simultaneously to the policy window? Second, no literature exists that discusses the application of multiple windows of the MSF. In this context, this paper takes the idea of multiple windows seriously along with illustrations from Delhi, India where we find that although a window of opportunity existed for the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, it could not privatize water supply. Our argument is that multiple windows opened up, some by the opposition that thwarted water privatization attempts of the state government.