Local Governments and Social Innovation in Times of Crisis: The Relationship Between Public Administration and Practices of Collective Action in Catalonia (Spain)

The structural crisis generated in the context of the housing bubble and financial speculation, has resulted in increased levels of poverty, unemployment, inequality, segregation and exclusion in Spain. These are problems that require effective and concrete public policies to improve the current living conditions that exist in the society, which is in a process of changing times. The society calls for specific and effective responses to the difficulties that people face in day to day. What are the available solutions? How the figures of the problems are reversed? In this constant search for solutions, a concept that has had a major boom has appeared: Social Innovation. Social Innovation has been presented as a recurring item on the agenda of the last decade. Often the concept is part of discourses, government programs, political and economic projects, forums and events for research institutes and universities. The concept of Social Innovation has developed different views on what it means and what measures should be undertaken to promote it and make this an appropriate response to the current problems. On the one hand, there is a tendency to consider the Social Innovation as a management indicator related to technological advances and the promotion of Smart Cities, economic growth and new business development. This view has been reflected in public policies of local governments, making a business trend, based on the market economy and technological competence. But on the other hand, the concept of Social Innovation has also been associated with practices of collective action seeking greater participation of society in governance processes from a -sustainable ecological vision and change not only in social relations, but also in consumption patterns and local development. However, these initiatives generated from community action and society - processes "bottom up" - often lack support of political institutions and the public sector, not being in line with the economic-technological line. Catalonia has been no exception to the heyday of Social Innovation, since the subject is on the agenda in the region, there are also debates about its meaning and an academic interest in the subject, as well as an increase in programs and local policies based on this concept. The essential debate that this paper seeks to address is whether the Social Innovation should be promoted from the citizenship or from the institutions, how they relate and may complement community action in neighborhoods with local governments.