SI4SD | The role of local administrations in Social innovation: a global understanding from the comparative study of Flanders and Madrid

Civil mobilization, civil-public collaboration and multi-actor experimentations are spreading in different geographical contexts as mechanisms through which different urban actors gain a relevant and active role in politics and collaborate to address urban challenges and social needs. This research aims to develop a holistic understanding of how such ongoing mobilization and multi-actor experimentations are being developed, and how they are transforming urban governance and contributing to democratic innovation. By identifying and defining such phenomena as “socially innovative multi-actor collaborations” (IMACs), the research stresses the relevance and linkages of these processes both to social innovation and democratic innovation theory and practice. Theoretically, the research builds an inter-disciplinary framework that takes social innovation theory as starting point, complemented with literature from the fields of political science, public administration and planning, together with theories from governance, management, collaboration, and leadership studies. Methodologically, The study takes action research as main approach, building inter- and transdisciplinary collaborative trajectories with different researchers and urban actors involved in IMACs working to transform food systems in Madrid and Leuven.

The thesis is articulated around three research questions that look into different dimensions and scales of IMACs. First, IMACs are conceptualized and investigated with respect to why and how they emerge (RQ1) through the analysis of governance transformations in Madrid during the “Government of Change” led by AhoraMadrid (2015-19). Second, digging into how IMACs develop and their internal governance and co-production processes, specific insights about enabling roles, mechanisms and practices for and in IMACs (RQ2) are reached from the study of IMACs intervening in urban food governance in Leuven and the transdisciplinary action research trajectory developed at this stage of the research. Third, the macro- and micro level of governance and performance of IMACs already investigated are reconnected, questioning how IMACs contribute to democratizing urban governance and addressing urban challenges (RQ3). This is achieved investigating whether and how IMAC, as a process, institutionalized in food governance in Madrid between 2015 and 2023. Eventually, the connection and upgrading of the results related to each research question and stage allows to build a holistic and applied understanding of IMAC(s) both as governance mechanisms and a governance process.