Gatekeepers of local environmental progress? Self-referencing practices of urban bureaucracy

Abstract

We argue that contemporary debate on innovative urban environmental governance underestimates the influence of bureaucratic self-referencing practices. Informed by organisational and institutional theories, we define them as mechanisms for strategic incorporation of new environmental rules while keeping former administrative structures stable. Analysis of new units in Polish cities identified three such practices: defining bureaucratic identity, translating environmental issues, and managing external actors. Thus, urban bureaucracy is ‘a gatekeeper’ that can soften or strengthen the administrative boundaries of environmental progress. We, therefore, recommend the careful evaluation of innovative administrative forms to determine whether they meet social and environmental expectations.

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