The local state’s repertoires of governance strategies for the urban commons. Nuancing current perspectives

Abstract

Theorists of the commons appear to have rather siloed, ideologically driven understandings of the repertoires of governance strategies enacted by the state in the emergence and development of commons. Neo-institutionalists tend to see the state as a supportive institution, while neo-Marxists generally see the state as either antagonistic and/or co-optative. This article sets its research in the dense and contested urban context, and examines the repertoires of governance strategies adopted by the local state in the emergence and development of the urban commons. By engaging with relational state theory, it aims to help nuance the theory of the urban commons–local state relationship. It does so by carrying out a comparative analysis of two cases of urban commons located in Barcelona. For each case, it delves into the variations, ambiguities and complexities of the repertoires of governance strategies enacted by the local state in its emergence and development. The article concludes that, as suggested by relational state theory, the boundaries between the types of governance strategies that the local state takes on are more nuanced than is perhaps reflected in the literature. These repertoires may well overlap, evolve throughout time and apply selectively to different urban commons.