Annika Agger | Roskilde University (original) (raw)

Papers by Annika Agger

European Planning Studies, Jan 12, 2015

Abstract In this article, we provide a conceptual and argumentative framework for studying how Ar... more Abstract In this article, we provide a conceptual and argumentative framework for studying how Area-based Initiatives (ABIs) can facilitate contact between networks in deprived neighbourhoods and external forms of power (linking social capital). These relations provide the residents and other members of civil society with crucial access to leveraging resources, ideas and information. Although few studies on linking social capital have been carried out in relation to urban regeneration, there is empirical evidence that suggests that it can play a positive role in establishing trust and relations between civil society and a municipality. We set out with a review of how social capital literature has been applied in an urban context, and then demonstrate empirical examples from Denmark of how, in different contexts (village, town and city), ABIs have facilitated processes that generated different forms of social capital (bridging, bonding and linking). The article concludes that ABIs contribute to creating linking social capital, but the extent of the contribution depends on the level of bonding and bridging social capital in the area. We argue that public planners as well as evaluators of the ABIs should increase their awareness about the potentials of an ABI to create linking social capital in deprived neighbourhoods.

Voluntas, Jan 4, 2021

Voluntarism in Urban regeneration: Civic, charity or hybrid? Experiences from Danish area-based i... more Voluntarism in Urban regeneration: Civic, charity or hybrid? Experiences from Danish area-based interventions.

Politica, 2018

According to recent studies in implementation research, the quality of the interplay between fron... more According to recent studies in implementation research, the quality of the interplay between front-line staff and target groups, affects the degree to which policy is implemented. Therefore, the ability of front-line workers to balance between ensuring professional knowledge and at the same time facilitate inclusive processes is of great importance in co-production processes with citizens. Despite the growing interest in co-production and interactive processes, there are relatively few studies that focus on what happens in practice when front-line staff aims to build trust and coordinate action between conflicting interests. In this article, we investigate how front-line workers experience and handle conflicts through their work in co-production processes. Theoretically, we employ theories of street-level bureaucracy and conflict resolution. Empirically, we draw on a study of 16 front-line managers in urban renewal efforts in Malmö and Copenhagen, characterized by active involvement...

European Planning Studies

Urban Studies, 2021

This article places those working for change in urban neighbourhoods at the centre of debates on ... more This article places those working for change in urban neighbourhoods at the centre of debates on urban transformation, directing attention to the importance of human agency in the work of assembling urban transformation. Drawing on cross-national qualitative fieldwork undertaken over 30 months shadowing 40 urban practitioners in neighbourhoods across four European cities – Amsterdam, Birmingham, Copenhagen and Glasgow – our research revealed the catalytic, embodied roles of situated agents in this assembling. Through exemplar vignettes, we present practices in a diverse range of socio-material assemblages aimed to address complex problems and unmet needs in the urban environment. The practices we studied were not those of daily routines, but were instead a purposeful assembling that included nurturing and developing of heterogeneous resources such as relationships, knowledges and materials, framed through an emerging vision to inform, mobilise and channel action. This article brings...

Cities

Abstract In recent years, the importance of mobilizing citizens and local stakeholders in efforts... more Abstract In recent years, the importance of mobilizing citizens and local stakeholders in efforts to address climate change has been highlighted in both research and international climate governance. Despite an international resurgence of interest in institutional innovations for public engagement and a growing literature on democratic innovation, few have fully considered the effects of invited spaces in the form of formal local platforms for collaboration between public and private actors aimed at creating innovative climate policy solutions. This article assesses a model of ‘hybrid democracy’ in the form of a municipal institutional innovation designed as a ‘temporary committee’ consisting of elected councillors and appointed citizens who collaborate on designing a new local strategy for sustainable development. Using a qualitative approach, the article analyses the institutional design and the deliberations among the participants in the process. Two main findings emerge from the study. First, although there is a general appraisal of the more collaborative and participatory modes of engaging in deliberations, the politicians are reluctant to delegate power to non-elected actors. Second, the main effect of this hybrid model is enhanced legitimacy and a mutual understanding between politicians and citizens, rather than innovative policies and bold municipal climate governance.

Environmental Policy and Governance

The kvarterloeft initiative, a large-scale attempt to "lift" deprived urban areas through a holis... more The kvarterloeft initiative, a large-scale attempt to "lift" deprived urban areas through a holistic initiative based on public participation and public-private partnerships, are now drawing to a close. The initiative began in 1997 and comprises projects in 12 areas covering a total population of about 120,000 people. Both this book and the two large conferences in Copenhagen on 10-12 October 2007 will help give the initiative a fitting finale. I am pleased that, with this book and the international conference, we have demonstrated that the experience gained in Denmark is of interest worldwide. However, the book is intended to do more than simply present the results, which can indeed be considered with pride. It is also intended to stimulate discussion on possible improvements. And in that context, we can also benefit from experience gained in other countries. The Danish government finds it vital to stop the continuing trends towards ghettoisation. The development of areas that are physically, socioculturally and economically isolated from the rest of society is unacceptable. There are areas where far too many residents are outside the labour market, where far too many people altogether lack contact with the rest of society, and where the imbalance in social and ethnic composition is far too evident. In such areas there is a risk of parallel societies emerging. The kvarterloeft projects in e.g. Brøndby Strand and Avedøre Stationsby have clearly succeeded in reversing the development in primarily non-profit housing. The areas have successfully been made attractive, also for employed residents. Members of the public have successfully participated in the activities. And many exciting future-oriented integration projects have successfully been completed.

Public Governance in Denmark, 2022

Politica, 2015

Few studies of co-production in the form of co-governance focus on early involvement of citizens ... more Few studies of co-production in the form of co-governance focus on early involvement of citizens in the input stage of a policy process. What kinds of challenges and potentials does this form of co-production bring about when citizens, local councilors and public administrators collaborate to develop public policies? The empirical foundation for the article is a study of a Danish municipality, Albertslund, where six local councilors, six citizens and three public administrators participated in a formal committee with the purpose of developing a new municipal policy for citizen participation. The study concludes that citizens improve their democratic capabilities and trust in the political establishment in the municipality by participating in the committee. However, a condition for realizing the potentials is a willingness to collaborate in new and more interactive ways.