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In recent years, we have witnessed the development of a political and academic discourse that, from different perspectives, points out the importance of innovative social action as a response to the challenges of the crisis and the so-called epochal change. Thus, we are told that addressing challenges such as climate change, the aging of the population, the precariousness of employment, or the growing financial difficulties of the Welfare State requires the development of innovative solutions in which citizens are expected to play a fundamental role.
Ismael Blanco. Social Innovation Against Socio-spatial Segregation: The Case of Catalonia. Social Movements and Public Policies in Southern European Cities 2020, 113 -135.
AMA StyleIsmael Blanco. Social Innovation Against Socio-spatial Segregation: The Case of Catalonia. Social Movements and Public Policies in Southern European Cities. 2020; ():113-135.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsmael Blanco. 2020. "Social Innovation Against Socio-spatial Segregation: The Case of Catalonia." Social Movements and Public Policies in Southern European Cities , no. : 113-135.
A partir del análisis del caso de Cataluña, este artículo contribuye al debate en torno a la innovación social, ofreciendo una visión general sobre el desarrollo de las prácticas socialmente innovadoras y preguntándose por su potencial transformador en tres dimensiones: 1) la creación de espacios de autonomía social; 2) el empoderamiento ciudadano (particularmente de colectivos y en territorios de especial vulnerabilidad social), y 3) el desarrollo de nuevas arquitecturas institucionales que promuevan y refuercen los derechos sociales y de ciudadanía. El artículo parte de una extensa investigación que ha combinado el mapeo de la innovación social, una encuesta online y distintas entrevistas semi-estructuradas con informantes clave. En el artículo se muestran las potencialidades y los límites de la innovación social como factor de transformación social y se señala, asimismo, la necesidad de crear las condiciones institucionales propicias para su generalización y su consolidación.
Rubén Martínez Moreno; Helena Cruz Gallach; Ismael Blanco; Yunailis Salazar. La innovación social, ¿prácticas para producir autonomía, empoderamiento y nueva institucionalidad? Revista Internacional de Sociología 2019, 77, 126 .
AMA StyleRubén Martínez Moreno, Helena Cruz Gallach, Ismael Blanco, Yunailis Salazar. La innovación social, ¿prácticas para producir autonomía, empoderamiento y nueva institucionalidad? Revista Internacional de Sociología. 2019; 77 (2):126.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRubén Martínez Moreno; Helena Cruz Gallach; Ismael Blanco; Yunailis Salazar. 2019. "La innovación social, ¿prácticas para producir autonomía, empoderamiento y nueva institucionalidad?" Revista Internacional de Sociología 77, no. 2: 126.
Research on cities have received increased attention over the years. Urban spaces are, on the one hand, a significant target of speculative financial investments and commodification of life, generating dynamics that are very difficult to contain within the competencies of local governments. At the same time, cities are the central space of everyday life, where there is resistance at many levels seeking to defend the conditions of living and subsistence of the majority of citizens. This special issue presents exciting contributions to the debate on public policies and the city. The articles published approach cities as urban spaces of diversity and encounters; the arena of discursive and material struggles; contradictory embeddedness of commodification and resistance; the focus of institutional disputes between exclusion and participation; and finally, changing spaces that respond to the need for new management technologies at a local level. Drawing on various theoretical frameworks and rich empirical discussions, this special issue reclaims cities as central spaces of everyday life, which are particularly important for protection and emancipation in a global scenario of uncertainty.
Sonia Maria Fleury Teixeira; Joan Subirats; Daniel S. Lacerda; Ismael Blanco. Public policies and the city: producing inclusive urban spaces. Revista de Administração Pública 2018, 52, 1007 -1014.
AMA StyleSonia Maria Fleury Teixeira, Joan Subirats, Daniel S. Lacerda, Ismael Blanco. Public policies and the city: producing inclusive urban spaces. Revista de Administração Pública. 2018; 52 (6):1007-1014.
Chicago/Turabian StyleSonia Maria Fleury Teixeira; Joan Subirats; Daniel S. Lacerda; Ismael Blanco. 2018. "Public policies and the city: producing inclusive urban spaces." Revista de Administração Pública 52, no. 6: 1007-1014.
El artículo ofrece en primer lugar una perspectiva general sobre la era urbana, entendida como un nuevo tiempo global donde las ciudades juegan un papel central, en tanto que espacios que producen y reflejan las grandes dinámicas vertebradoras de las primeras décadas del siglo XXI. Ello permite situar un segundo elemento de discusión: lo común y la proximidad como posibles respuestas donde generar proyectos colectivos de protección y reconocimiento. En ese sentido, el artículo plantea los retos clave de empoderamiento de las ciudades en redes horizontales de gobernanza. En un plano más concreto, la reflexión se traslada a la evolución del municipalismo en España: la trayectoria de tres décadas de gobiernos locales democráticos, las dinámicas recientes de movilización urbana, y el nuevo escenario surgido de las elecciones de 2015. A partir de ahí, el artículo plantea la posible configuración de un nuevo municipalismo definido por dos dimensiones: una agenda de políticas urbanas comprometidas con el derecho a la ciudad; y una agenda de prácticas urbanas vinculadas a la construcción del común. La Obra Social de la PAH se expone, finalmente, como caso que permite articular ambos aspectos: la producción de comunes urbanos y el ejercicio del derecho a la vivienda.
Ismael Blanco; Ricard Gomà Carmona; Joan Subirats. El nuevo municipalismo: derecho a la ciudad y comunes urbanos. Gestión y Análisis de Políticas Públicas 2018, 14 -28.
AMA StyleIsmael Blanco, Ricard Gomà Carmona, Joan Subirats. El nuevo municipalismo: derecho a la ciudad y comunes urbanos. Gestión y Análisis de Políticas Públicas. 2018; ():14-28.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsmael Blanco; Ricard Gomà Carmona; Joan Subirats. 2018. "El nuevo municipalismo: derecho a la ciudad y comunes urbanos." Gestión y Análisis de Políticas Públicas , no. : 14-28.
This paper explores neoliberalisation and its counter-currents through a six-case study of austerity urbanism in Spain and the UK. Applying Urban Regime Theory it highlights the role of urban politics in driving, variegating and containing neoliberalism since the 2008 crash. Variegated austerity regimes contribute to strengthening neoliberalism, but with limits. Welfarism survives austerity in felicitous circumstances. And, where contentious politics thrive, as in Spain, it holds out the potential for a broader challenge to neoliberalism. In contrast, austerity regimes in the UK cities are strongly embedded. The legacies of past struggles, and differing local and regional traditions form an important part of the explanation for patterns of neoliberalisation, hybridization and contestation.
Jonathan S. Davies; Ismael Blanco. Austerity urbanism: Patterns of neo-liberalisation and resistance in six cities of Spain and the UK. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space 2017, 49, 1517 -1536.
AMA StyleJonathan S. Davies, Ismael Blanco. Austerity urbanism: Patterns of neo-liberalisation and resistance in six cities of Spain and the UK. Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space. 2017; 49 (7):1517-1536.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJonathan S. Davies; Ismael Blanco. 2017. "Austerity urbanism: Patterns of neo-liberalisation and resistance in six cities of Spain and the UK." Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space 49, no. 7: 1517-1536.
Taking one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Barcelona as a paradigmatic case, the aim of this paper is to explore the ways in which contestation organised by sublocal grassroots movements in the context of the current urban crisis operates, both in terms of content and form of protest. Our thesis is that resident mobilisation in the neighbourhood of Ciutat Meridiana is expressive of a new cycle of (urban) social mobilisations in Spanish cities. In such mobilisations, more or less spontaneous initiatives which emerged to counteract the effects of the crisis at the community level are simultaneously serving as platforms for reciprocity and political contestation. Establishing a dialogue with the literature on social innovation, in this paper we claim that these micro-local urban practices are linked to broader social movements and thus play a fundamental role in the political empowerment of citizens living in highly segregated and vulnerable urban areas.
Ismael Blanco; Margarita León. Social innovation, reciprocity and contentious politics: Facing the socio-urban crisis in Ciutat Meridiana, Barcelona. Urban Studies 2016, 54, 2172 -2188.
AMA StyleIsmael Blanco, Margarita León. Social innovation, reciprocity and contentious politics: Facing the socio-urban crisis in Ciutat Meridiana, Barcelona. Urban Studies. 2016; 54 (9):2172-2188.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsmael Blanco; Margarita León. 2016. "Social innovation, reciprocity and contentious politics: Facing the socio-urban crisis in Ciutat Meridiana, Barcelona." Urban Studies 54, no. 9: 2172-2188.
Ismael Blanco. Yes, You Can: The “Who,” the “Why,” the “What,” and the “How” of Innovation in American Government. Public Administration Review 2015, 75, 500 -503.
AMA StyleIsmael Blanco. Yes, You Can: The “Who,” the “Why,” the “What,” and the “How” of Innovation in American Government. Public Administration Review. 2015; 75 (3):500-503.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsmael Blanco. 2015. "Yes, You Can: The “Who,” the “Why,” the “What,” and the “How” of Innovation in American Government." Public Administration Review 75, no. 3: 500-503.
Ismael Blanco. Between democratic network governance and neoliberalism: A regime-theoretical analysis of collaboration in Barcelona. Cities 2015, 44, 123 -130.
AMA StyleIsmael Blanco. Between democratic network governance and neoliberalism: A regime-theoretical analysis of collaboration in Barcelona. Cities. 2015; 44 ():123-130.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsmael Blanco. 2015. "Between democratic network governance and neoliberalism: A regime-theoretical analysis of collaboration in Barcelona." Cities 44, no. : 123-130.
The local state, and more broadly the logic of the local, remains divorced from accounts of urban governance. Addressing this omission, this article examines how a focus on the local opens up new avenues of enquiry in urban governance. It first discusses the interactions of the ‘urban’ and the ‘local’, analysing the significance of both to an understanding of neoliberalism in action. It then evaluates the opportunities and challenges that emerge from the multiple interplays of the ‘local’ and the ‘urban’, setting out five focal points for the exploration of the local: understandings of ‘crisis’; politics, meaning and affect; agency and regulatory intermediaries; the turn to practice; and place and comparison. The article concludes by calling for the study of local practices, in ways that recognise the multiple logics at play in different conjunctures, and the spaces such ambiguities and ‘messiness’ open up for different forms of situated agency.
Ismael Blanco; Steven Griggs; Helen Sullivan. Situating the local in the neoliberalisation and transformation of urban governance. Urban Studies 2014, 51, 3129 -3146.
AMA StyleIsmael Blanco, Steven Griggs, Helen Sullivan. Situating the local in the neoliberalisation and transformation of urban governance. Urban Studies. 2014; 51 (15):3129-3146.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsmael Blanco; Steven Griggs; Helen Sullivan. 2014. "Situating the local in the neoliberalisation and transformation of urban governance." Urban Studies 51, no. 15: 3129-3146.
Neoliberal accounts of local governance have paid insufficient attention to variation in the forms of urban governance and urban policies across local regimes. On the basis of a comparison of eight deprived neighbourhoods in Catalonia (Spain) where the same regional programme of urban regeneration has been carried out, this paper explores the significance of place when it comes to understanding the adoption of different models of urban governance. In Spain, the combination of a high autonomy of local government and a very strong tradition of neighbourhood associations has resulted in both local authorities and community organisations playing a very important role in local policy-making. Local structural and agency factors are both essential to understanding why models of urban governance and regeneration change from place to place. The paper concludes that neighbourhood type, size of municipality, social capital and previous conflicts are crucial for the understanding of urban governance geographies.
Marc Parés; Marc Martí-Costa; Ismael Blanco. Geographies of governance: How place matters in urban regeneration policies. Urban Studies 2014, 51, 3250 -3267.
AMA StyleMarc Parés, Marc Martí-Costa, Ismael Blanco. Geographies of governance: How place matters in urban regeneration policies. Urban Studies. 2014; 51 (15):3250-3267.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMarc Parés; Marc Martí-Costa; Ismael Blanco. 2014. "Geographies of governance: How place matters in urban regeneration policies." Urban Studies 51, no. 15: 3250-3267.
English abstract on Cairn International Edition
Joan Subirats; Ismael Blanco; Jacques Fontaine. Crise et changement d'époque en Espagne. Réponses politiques et crise institutionnelle. Pôle Sud 2013, n° 39, 57 -78.
AMA StyleJoan Subirats, Ismael Blanco, Jacques Fontaine. Crise et changement d'époque en Espagne. Réponses politiques et crise institutionnelle. Pôle Sud. 2013; n° 39 (2):57-78.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJoan Subirats; Ismael Blanco; Jacques Fontaine. 2013. "Crise et changement d'époque en Espagne. Réponses politiques et crise institutionnelle." Pôle Sud n° 39, no. 2: 57-78.
A substantial body of literature has addressed the emergence of new forms of network governance in the urban realm. Whilst some authors tend to consider network governance practices as intimately linked to neoliberalism, others celebrate them as a Third Way between markets and hierarchies. Bringing urban regime analysis back into this debate can be important for three main reasons: first, this theoretical approach invites us to interrogate narratives of transformation, arguing that ‘governance’ and ‘networks’ have always been integral to governing and, therefore, forcing governance theory to clarify what is new in the network paradigm; second, urban regime analysis highlights a fact that is often neglected in the network governance literature—that, in reality, the agendas and participants of governance networks can be very different in different places and that this can lead to different types of socioeconomic outcomes; third, urban regime analysis focuses our attention on the interplay between political economic structures and local political activities in particular places, helping us to understand how local governance decisions are taken in the face of global structural pressures. The comparison between two cases of neighbourhood regeneration in Barcelona permits us to illustrate what is new in the ‘network governance’ era; the diversity of urban policy practices that the ‘network paradigm’ can encompass; as well the influence of locally specific circumstances and of local actors' policy choices on the practice of network governance.
Ismael Blanco. Analysing Urban Governance Networks: Bringing Regime Theory Back in. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 2013, 31, 276 -291.
AMA StyleIsmael Blanco. Analysing Urban Governance Networks: Bringing Regime Theory Back in. Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy. 2013; 31 (2):276-291.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsmael Blanco. 2013. "Analysing Urban Governance Networks: Bringing Regime Theory Back in." Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy 31, no. 2: 276-291.
Ismael Blanco. From networks to hegemony… and back to networks? Dialogues in Human Geography 2012, 2, 362 -364.
AMA StyleIsmael Blanco. From networks to hegemony… and back to networks? Dialogues in Human Geography. 2012; 2 (3):362-364.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsmael Blanco. 2012. "From networks to hegemony… and back to networks?" Dialogues in Human Geography 2, no. 3: 362-364.
In this article we seek to analyse and compare the models of regeneration of the city centres of Barcelona and Madrid in the light of the transformation of urban governance in Spain. New ways of network governance are emerging in European cities and Madrid and Barcelona are no exception. Urban policies are evolving towards the creation of more integrated strategies for regeneration that involve not only multiple public stakeholders, but also private actors including social and community organizations. Despite both cities showing some common trends, the analysis reveals significant differences between the two cities, both in terms of the composition and the dynamics of the governance networks, and the priorities and strategies for regeneration. The article concludes by discussing the possible explanatory factors for such differences and their political implications.
Ismael Blanco; Jordi Bonet; Andrés Walliser. Urban governance and regeneration policies in historic city centres: Madrid and Barcelona. Urban Research & Practice 2011, 4, 326 -343.
AMA StyleIsmael Blanco, Jordi Bonet, Andrés Walliser. Urban governance and regeneration policies in historic city centres: Madrid and Barcelona. Urban Research & Practice. 2011; 4 (3):326-343.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsmael Blanco; Jordi Bonet; Andrés Walliser. 2011. "Urban governance and regeneration policies in historic city centres: Madrid and Barcelona." Urban Research & Practice 4, no. 3: 326-343.
Networks are central to both the practice and understanding of contemporary governance. But there is a tendency to conflate and confuse different concepts. Concepts of ‘policy network’ (PN) and ‘governance network’ (GN) are often used interchangeably, with an assumption that the latter has evolved from the former. Such indiscriminate borrowing fails to recognise the different antecedents, and distinctive analytical offer, of specific network theories. The article develops a systematic distinction between PN and GN theories, enabling those engaging with networks to select from, and even combine, alternative perspectives as they confront a new wave of change in policy making and governance. The more sceptical account provided by PN theory provides a valuable counterbalance to the ‘optimistic’ character of the GN literature, which tends to underestimate the continued hold of (albeit multi-sector) elites on policy making, and overstate the extent to which networks represent a new ‘stage’ in the evolution of governance.
Ismael Blanco; Vivien Lowndes; Lawrence Pratchett. Policy Networks and Governance Networks: Towards Greater Conceptual Clarity. Political Studies Review 2011, 9, 297 -308.
AMA StyleIsmael Blanco, Vivien Lowndes, Lawrence Pratchett. Policy Networks and Governance Networks: Towards Greater Conceptual Clarity. Political Studies Review. 2011; 9 (3):297-308.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsmael Blanco; Vivien Lowndes; Lawrence Pratchett. 2011. "Policy Networks and Governance Networks: Towards Greater Conceptual Clarity." Political Studies Review 9, no. 3: 297-308.
As a first step towards the exploration of the particularities urban social exclusion in Spain, the research presented here evaluates the significance of the urban territorial factor at neighbourhood level in order to develop relevant conclusions for the design of urban policies. After comparing the structure and dynamics of socio-spatial inequalities in five large Spanish cities (Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Seville and Murcia), we analyse how different disadvantaged neighbourhoods – inner city districts and peripheral housing estates – affect the life trajectories of different vulnerable social groups: long-term unemployed males, undocumented immigrants, single mothers, old people living alone and young people with a low education level and job problems. We identify the existence of significant differences between inner city districts and peripheral housing estates regarding the way they affect the life chances of their inhabitants. Furthermore, we show how different social groups are unequally affected by the characteristics of the neighbourhood in which they live. This all leads us to stress the importance of urban public policies being sensitive to the diversity of socio-spatial conditions of cities.
Ismael Blanco; Joan Subirats. Social exclusion, area effects and metropolitan governance: a comparative analysis of five large Spanish cities. Urban Research & Practice 2008, 1, 130 -148.
AMA StyleIsmael Blanco, Joan Subirats. Social exclusion, area effects and metropolitan governance: a comparative analysis of five large Spanish cities. Urban Research & Practice. 2008; 1 (2):130-148.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIsmael Blanco; Joan Subirats. 2008. "Social exclusion, area effects and metropolitan governance: a comparative analysis of five large Spanish cities." Urban Research & Practice 1, no. 2: 130-148.