IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envirc/v41y2023i3p600-616.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Fast-track institutionalization: The opening of urban planning best practice agencies in Mexico City

Author

Listed:
  • Ryan Anders Whitney
  • David López-García

Abstract

The article explores the related concepts of best practice agencies (BPAs) and fast-track institutionalization. We define BPAs as agencies that have been inspired by international trends in urban governance, often opened within local urban contexts to implement urban planning best practice policies and programs. Importantly, we argue that BPAs often go through processes of “fast-track institutionalization†, meaning that in an attempt by mayors to showcase their effectiveness to their constituents, the institutionalization of BPAs is deemphasized. Through exploring two BPAs in Mexico City, namely the Laboratorio para la Ciudad (LabCDMX) and the Autoridad del Espacio Público (AEP), we illustrate how each BPA bypassed the capacity-building and public action processes required to build consensus on their importance within city government. We then suggest that fast-track institutionalization is one aspect that can eventually contribute to the closure of BPAs. We conclude by exploring how BPAs have created a site of contention between best practice adoption and local processes of institutionalization, eroding their ability to implement their mandates over the short and long-term.

Suggested Citation

  • Ryan Anders Whitney & David López-García, 2023. "Fast-track institutionalization: The opening of urban planning best practice agencies in Mexico City," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 41(3), pages 600-616, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:41:y:2023:i:3:p:600-616
    DOI: 10.1177/23996544221142166
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23996544221142166
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/23996544221142166?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Paola Jirón & Walter A Imilán & Carlos Lange & Pablo Mansilla, 2021. "Placebo urban interventions: Observing Smart City narratives in Santiago de Chile," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(3), pages 601-620, February.
    2. Sergio Montero & Gianpaolo Baiocchi, 2022. "A posteriori comparisons, repeated instances and urban policy mobilities: What ‘best practices’ leave behind," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 59(8), pages 1536-1555, June.
    3. Veronica Crossa, 2009. "Resisting the Entrepreneurial City: Street Vendors' Struggle in Mexico City's Historic Center," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(1), pages 43-63, March.
    4. Bidordinova, Asya, 2021. "Emerging cycling policy in Moscow, Russia: The role of international policy transfer," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    5. Sosa López, Oscar & Montero, Sergio, 2018. "Expert-citizens: Producing and contesting sustainable mobility policy in Mexican cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 67(C), pages 137-144.
    6. Oliver E. Williamson, 2000. "The New Institutional Economics: Taking Stock, Looking Ahead," Journal of Economic Literature, American Economic Association, vol. 38(3), pages 595-613, September.
    7. Oliver Blake & Meredith Glaser & Luca Bertolini & Marco te Brömmelstroet, 2021. "How policies become best practices: a case study of best practice making in an EU knowledge sharing project," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(7), pages 1251-1271, July.
    8. Paul Chatterton & Alice Owen & Jo Cutter & Gary Dymski & Rachael Unsworth, 2018. "Recasting Urban Governance through Leeds City Lab: Developing Alternatives to Neoliberal Urban Austerity in Co†production Laboratories," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(2), pages 226-243, March.
    9. Macmillen, James & Stead, Dominic, 2014. "Learning heuristic or political rhetoric? Sustainable mobility and the functions of ‘best practice’," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 79-87.
    10. Eugene McCann & Kevin Ward, 2012. "Policy Assemblages, Mobilities and Mutations: Toward a Multidisciplinary Conversation," Political Studies Review, Political Studies Association, vol. 10(3), pages 325-332, September.
    11. Michael McGann & Emma Blomkamp & Jenny M. Lewis, 2018. "The rise of public sector innovation labs: experiments in design thinking for policy," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 51(3), pages 249-267, September.
    12. Gabriel Silvestre & Guillermo Jajamovich, 2021. "The role of mobile policies in coalition building: The Barcelona model as coalition magnet in Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro (1989–1996)," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(11), pages 2310-2328, August.
    13. Jamie Peck, 2002. "Political Economies of Scale: Fast Policy, Interscalar Relations, and Neoliberal Workfare," Economic Geography, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 78(3), pages 331-360, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ryan Anders Whitney, 2022. "FROM HERE, THERE, AND EVERYWHERE: English‐language Media Outlets and Urban Planning Best Practices in the Global South," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(3), pages 466-479, May.
    2. Makoza, Frank, 2023. "Analyzing policy change of Malawi ICT and Digitalization policy: Policy Assemblage Perspective," EconStor Preprints 273309, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    3. Catalina Ortiz, 2024. "Writing the Latin American city: Trajectories of urban scholarship," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 61(3), pages 399-425, February.
    4. Francesca Blanc & Giancarlo Cotella, 2023. "Global urban development frameworks landing in Latin America: Insights from Ecuador and Bolivia," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 41(1), January.
    5. Citera, Emanuele & Sau, Lino, 2019. "Complexity, Conventions and Instability: the role of monetary policy," Department of Economics and Statistics Cognetti de Martiis. Working Papers 201924, University of Turin.
    6. Eicher, Theo S. & Schreiber, Till, 2010. "Structural policies and growth: Time series evidence from a natural experiment," Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(1), pages 169-179, January.
    7. Engelhardt, Sebastian v. & Freytag, Andreas, 2013. "Institutions, culture, and open source," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 90-110.
    8. Osei-Tutu, Francis & Weill, Laurent, 2023. "Individualism reduces borrower discouragement," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 211(C), pages 370-385.
    9. Nastasi, Federico & Spagano, Salvatore, 2023. "Institutionalist Clues in Celso Furtado’s Economic Thought," MPRA Paper 120242, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Evans, Lewis & Meade, Richard, 2005. "The Role and Significance of Cooperatives in New Zealand Agriculture, A Comparative Institutional Analysis," Working Paper Series 3847, Victoria University of Wellington, The New Zealand Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation.
    11. Schmitz, Patrick W., 2021. "On the optimality of outsourcing when vertical integration can mitigate information asymmetries," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 202(C).
    12. Roberto Foa & Anna Nemirovskaya & Elena Mostovova, 2013. "Internal Empires I: Social Institutions of the Frontier," HSE Working papers WP BRP 09/SOC/2013, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    13. Aseem Kaul & Jiao Luo, 2018. "An economic case for CSR: The comparative efficiency of for‐profit firms in meeting consumer demand for social goods," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(6), pages 1650-1677, June.
    14. Luigi Guiso & Paola Sapienza & Luigi Zingales, 2016. "Long-Term Persistence," Journal of the European Economic Association, European Economic Association, vol. 14(6), pages 1401-1436, December.
    15. Kim, Jongwook & Mahoney, Joseph T., 2008. "A Strategic Theory of the Firm as a Nexus of Incomplete Contracts: A Property Rights Approach," Working Papers 08-0108, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, College of Business.
    16. Catherine Locatelli & Sylvain Rossiaud, 2011. "A neoinstitutionalist interpretation of the changes in the Russian oil model," Post-Print halshs-00631115, HAL.
    17. Abderraouf Ben Ahmed Mtiraoui, 2015. "Governance, Human Capital and Economic Growth in OECD countries: Applying the dynamic panel data (GMM)," Working Papers hal-02528386, HAL.
    18. Banterle, Alessandro & Stranieri, Stefanella, 2008. "The consequences of voluntary traceability system for supply chain relationships. An application of transaction cost economics," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 33(6), pages 560-569, December.
    19. Luis Alfonso Dau & Aya S. Chacar & Marjorie A. Lyles & Jiatao Li, 2022. "Informal institutions and international business: Toward an integrative research agenda," Journal of International Business Studies, Palgrave Macmillan;Academy of International Business, vol. 53(6), pages 985-1010, August.
    20. Rok Spruk & Mitja Kovac, 2018. "Inefficient Growth," Review of Economics and Institutions, Università di Perugia, vol. 9(2).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:envirc:v:41:y:2023:i:3:p:600-616. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.