Social Innovation and Democratic Leadership

Social Innovation and Democratic Leadership: Communities and Social Change from Below was a collaborative study with the Autonomous University of Barcelona that explored the responses of New York City and Barcelona neighborhoods to the economic crisis.

The research project has resulted in a book highlighting case studies in each city to explain variation in neighborhood responses, focusing on:

• The structural factors linked to the historical and geographical configuration of the neighborhoods (their social, political and economic context; their civic capacity; and path dependency in their governance networks) and, 
• Leadership practices that make change possible through specific experiences of social innovation.