Process Reforms and the Governance of Convenience: Re-examining Ease of Living and Ease of Doing Business in Urban India

This article examines the role of process reforms in advancing ease of living (EoL) and ease of doing business in urban India. While structural reforms have dominated governance discourse, the operational functioning of administrative systems remains under-analysed. Using secondary data from government indices, policy documents and empirical studies, the article evaluates how administrative simplification, regulatory streamlining, digitisation and coordination mechanisms influence governance outcomes. The findings indicate that although India has achieved measurable improvements through frameworks such as the EoL index and the Business Reform Action Plan, persistent gaps remain in backend integration, administrative capacity and trust-building processes. The study argues that institutionalising process reforms beyond formal compliance and ranking incentives is essential for translating policy intent into improved citizen and entrepreneurial experiences.