Towards Democratisation of Public Administration: Public-Commons Partnerships in Barcelona

This paper looks at the relational dimension of public-commons partnerships, examining its role in shaping novel practices in public administration (PA). Focusing on the role of civic actors and public officials who support the emergence and development of public-commons partnerships, we aim to contribute to Bollier and Helfrich’s conceptualisation of public-commons partnerships as long-term agreements based on cooperation between state actors and commons members to respond to specific needs. We look at how actors involved in developing and sustaining public-commons partnerships help to create trust and alliances that can overcome resistance from both sides. This relational work enables the creative interpretation of existing legal frameworks to respond to the needs of the commons, strengthening capacity to prefigure alternative economic and policy regimes. To illuminate the novel policy instruments that can emerge from this collaboration, we analyse the Citizen Assets Programme in Barcelona. Based on documentary analysis and qualitative interviews with the actors involved in the process, our findings illustrate through a series of vignettes the repertoire of strategies and how these have enabled new working practices within the PA, which we argue can contribute to its democratisation.