The role of mobile policies in coalition building: The Barcelona model as coalition magnet in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro (1989–1996)

Abstract

Research on policy mobility has tended to focus on what moves (e.g. policy models, templates) and who moves them (e.g. consultants, international organisations), with less attention paid to the relational politics of grounding dominant ideas in local policymaking. The ‘demand side’ at the end of the mobilisation process (e.g. local authorities and policy actors) is usually depicted as passive or as having stable interests. This assumption is problematic as it can reinforce taken-for-granted power asymmetries in the flow of urban policy ideas, particularly in cases where cities in the Global North are presented as ‘exporting sites’ for a Global South audience of ‘importing sites’. Drawing on the concept of policy ideas as ‘coalition magnets’ from policy studies, this article demonstrates how local policies are relationally produced by cosmopolitan policy actors on the ‘demand side’ who strategically mobilise circulating ideas as a tool for coalition building. We provide a relational comparative study of Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro’s policy processes and urban outcomes in mobilising the Barcelona model of urban regeneration and strategic planning, drawing on evidence from interviews, document analysis and the biographies of key policy actors. We demonstrate the strategic importance of mobile policies for emerging political actors who employ them as a ‘coalition magnet’ to build support for their governments.

The afterlives of urban megaprojects: Grounding policy models and recirculating knowledge through domestic networks

“…Second, and building on the previous point, an attention to who stands to leverage from knowledge mobilisation and how this is then disseminated can reveal how well-resourced actors can influence further projects. This extends previous theoretical claims to pay more attention to agency on the demand side of policy mobilisation and to other scales beyond the local and the global (Silvestre and Jajamovich, 2021; Varró and Bunders, 2020; Zhou, 2021). Both Puerto Madero’s development corporation and the construction companies involved in Porto Maravilha managed to occupy positions as authoritative voices in urban regeneration within Argentina and Brazil, respectively, after their experiences in engaging with trans-local expertise and assembling knowledge, practices and actors.…”

“…While examining the role of such policy intermediaries is crucial to understand how certain policy ideas acquire ‘license to travel’ (Pow, 2014), our contribution is to consider the role of domestic actors who are embedded in different networks and perform much of the translation, promotion and negotiation tasks needed before a certain policy is mobilised (Silvestre and Jajamovich, 2021; Temenos and McCann, 2012). This requires a longer timeframe than the immediate politics surrounding policy implementation or otherwise.…”

FROM HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE: English‐language Media Outlets and Urban Planning Best Practices in the Global South

“…Whitney et al (2020) illustrate how best practices supporting cycling, pedestrian and public space infrastructure within Mexico favor neighborhoods ripe for economic development. Other research has explored referencing as a form of policy augmentation that supports specific outcomes, to highlight that multiscalar actors interested in coalition building use best practices to adopt their preferred policies and programs (Jajamovich, 2016;Kennedy, 2016;Silvestre and Jajamovich, 2021). The point is that best practices focused on 'sustainability' and 'livability', despite their good intentions, frequently reproduce inequitable outcomes when implemented within different urban contexts around the globe.…”

Grandes projetos urbanos no centro e na periferia do capitalismo global: comparando política, instituições e acesso à terra no Porto Maravilha e no projeto olímpico de Londres

“…Foram realizados nesse período uma série de seminários e conferências visando apresentar casos exemplares de projetos de revitalização de regiões portuárias, que contribuíram com o mood da revitalização, além de formar uma comunidade de especialistas para propor projetos, calcados em um conhecimento técnico apoiado em exemplos internacionais (Sarue, 2015), além de uma coalizão de apoio à revitalização organizada em torno do ex-prefeito (Silvestre & Jajamovich, 2020). Nesse período a participação do setor privado era prevista por meio da formação do consórcio Rioporto, que seria responsável por coordenar a implementação de um programa de revitalização urbana (Ministério das Cidades, 2005).…”

“…Essas explicações consideram que os contextos locais da implementação dos projetos devem ser especificados, e apesar de centradas na escala das cidades, consideram a forma que se relacionam diretamente com um nível global. A tradicional proposta da análise de coalizões locais a partir da teoria dos regimes urbanos (Stone, 1993) e as análises mais recentes voltadas para as dinâmicas locais a partir da ideia de coalition magnets (Silvestre & Jajamovich, 2020), levam em consideração a política nas cidades, mas conectam essas trajetórias com escalas globais, e nesse sentido faltam análises empíricas que considerem os governos nacionais tendo um papel ativo que vai além do repasse de recursos ou do enquadramento institucional (Altshuler, 2003;Fainstein, 2008).…”