This article can be found in the Special Issue of the Journal of Urban Affairs regarding new urban governance.
This article currently has free access and is available to read and download.
Urban governance innovations in Rio de Janeiro: The political management of digital innovations, by Bruno Paschoal & Kai Wegrich
Abstract
This article analyzes urban governance innovations in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, focusing on the role of these innovations within the wider political management strategy of the executive leader. These innovations, all of which utilize digital information and communication technologies, are important elements within a leadership and management strategy. The article explores the role of digital innovations within the broader strategy of the mayor’s use of managerial tools as means to strengthen control of the city’s governance. Though presented as an apolitical management style of “what works,” this form of management is also deployed to enforce contentious political decisions with substantial implications for the social fabric of the city. This article offers an analysis of the political role and implications of urban governance and public service innovations that are often presented and analyzed in purely instrumental and apolitical ways.
Journal of Urban Affairs 