PACT-researchers provide panel at 11th ISTR-Conference in Muenster

Andrea Walter and Friedrich Paulsen, both PACT researchers, provide at the 11th ISTR Conference a panel about results from the EU-funded PACT project. The panel is titled "Civil Society and Innovative Local Public Administration: Local Housing and Childcare Policies compared". Between July 22 and 25, the international conference in Muenster brings together in more than 100 panels over 700 scholars from more than 85 countries around the globe. The PACT panel takes place at July 22 and includes four presentations: Friedrich Paulsen (PhD Student at Muenster University) presents a paper about "Gaining legitimacy for urban upscale objectives and city marketing through extended partnerships", Anna Domaradzka and Illona Matysiak (both Assistant Professors at University of Warsaw) focus in their presentation on “Pushing for innovation ‐ the role of citizens in local housing and childcare policies in Warsaw”. Sonja Blum (Senior Researcher at University of Vienna) presents a paper on “Local governance of childcare expansion in Austria: The role of knowledge and ideas”. Finally, Jelena Matancevic (Junior Researcher at University of Zagreb) focusses in her presentation on “Private initiatives, governance and service delivery at local levels – new developments within the childcare services in Zagreb”. All papers will be discussed by Steven Rathgeb Smith (Syracuse University, APSA executive director). Smith is also one of the three research directors of the PACT project. The papers will be published in the PACT volume "Civil Society and Innovative Public Administration". Further information about the ISTR conference here and the draft of the program.

The city is dead - long live the city!
Democratic and Social Innovations to Strengthen Cities and Urban Partnerships for the 21st Century

Panel presented at BMW Center, Washington D.C. on Tuesday, March 26

Cities in Europe are facing a number of serious challenges. The financial crisis led to rigorous fiscal constraints on the local level. Traditional modes of democratic representation are losing acceptance. Social tensions are on the increase. At the same time, US cities are searching for paths towards fostering innovation through smart growth strategies, taking new modes of transportation, efficient use of energy, and comprehensive planning into account. Local community is always the first level confronted with social change - as such, it depends on social, entrepreneurial, AND democratic innovation. To empower policy entrepreneurs seeking to address these problems, the opportunities for public-private partnership, embracing the professional, academic, and cultural communities, must be expanded. Defining new agendas instead of stressing contradictory mentalities and interests seems to be of essence.
Dr. Matthias Freise, Dr. Kai Pfundheller, Andrea Walter, and Friedrich Paulsen from Münster University presented their current research projects focusing on social and democratic innovation in cities, and asked whether these innovations are more than smoke and mirrors.