'Power' struggles in Mumbai: Informality, institutional work, and the quest for energy justice

Stuti Haldar (), Ananya Peddibhotla () and Amir Bazaz ()
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Stuti Haldar: CIRCLE, Lund University
Ananya Peddibhotla: Department of Urban Planning and Public Policy, University of California, Irvine, Postal: USA
Amir Bazaz: Indian Institute for Human Settlements, Postal: Bengaluru, India

No 2025/10, Papers in Innovation Studies from Lund University, CIRCLE - Centre for Innovation Research

Abstract: India's commitment to net zero by 2070 has sparked a significant energy transition, prompting policy shifts and infrastructure reconfigurations. This paper explores these transitions within Mumbai's electricity sector, focusing on the informal settlements, where nearly 41 percent (approx. 9 million people) of the city's population resides. Two competing narratives are at play here: top-down imaginaries frame slums as infrastructural disruptions, while grassroots movements emphasize energy justice and livelihood security. We use an inductive case study approach to examine institutional work practices in Mumbai's highly regulated and privatized electricity sector and explore how slum communities resist exclusion and challenge dominant infrastructure narratives. By analysing micro-cases of informal settlements, we show how grassroots action can reshape exclusionary electricity infrastructures and align energy transitions with justice outcomes. Our findings reveal that energy justice for marginalized communities requires creating dynamic spaces for contestation outside of rigid regulatory frameworks. We contribute to the broader understanding of energy transitions as socio-technical processes that intersect with issues of inequality, exclusion, and the risks associated with the twin crises of climate change and energy as an input for development.

Keywords: Energy justice; Informality; Urbanisation; Institutional work; Energy transition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O17 O18 Q48 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 26 pages
Date: 2026-09-25
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-iue
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