Social Innovation, Experimentalism, and Public Governance: An Ethnographical Approach to Study Public Arenas in the City

Abstract

This study offers a new perspective on the relationship between social innovation and public governance. It drew inspiration from pragmatism, emphasizing the importance of public inquiry and democratic experimentalism. The perspective was applied and validated through a series of studies conducted within the framework of the Observa-tory of Social Innovation in Florianópolis, Brazil, since 2017. The study presented and discussed the findings and insights gained from observing the emergence and spread (or lack thereof) of social innovations in the city’s public arenas. It revisited the debate on public governance to establish a framework for the study of public action. It then identified gaps and improvements in the literature linking public governance and social innovation. Based on these previous discussions, the article proposes an approach to pragmatist ethnography of public arenas validated by empirical studies in Florianópolis. The results provide insights into how societal-state relations and modes of governance can facilitate or impede social innovation and the promotion of more democratic and sustainable cities. The study contributes to a better understanding of the interplay between social innovation and public governance, and its implications for the development of more inclusive and sustainable cities.