Between the Law and the Social Practice: Territorial Approach and Public Policies

Abstract

The text examines the indiscriminate use, not always appropriate and rigorous, of the binomial territory/territoriality in the planning and execution of public policies. It reveals the inconsistencies between the territories set up by laws/decrees and the practices and limits adopted/experienced by the target people whose practices come from a wide diversity and complexity. Some concepts/notions (such as border, identity, network and scale) are recovered in order to demonstrate that the adoption of normative positions by the social policy makers and managers results in actions. That are not receptive to an effective participation of civil society organizations, disregarding the most legitimate demands of the population thus intensifying processes of segregation and atomization of the city.

Keywords

• Territoriality
• Public Policies
• City
• Identity