Coming soon: Policies for Convivencia

A newsletter on great policies for co-existence and the people behind them.

Illustration: Nene Tsuboi. Copyright: Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation.

I have spent the last two decades as a researcher and a public sector leader searching for better answers to a question powerfully coined by the philosopher Martha Nussbaum: what are people actually able to be and do?

Real People in Real Places

I am interested in understanding what incentivizes people to open their front doors and join public life and what prevents them from doing that. The word ‘actually’ is critical in Nussbaum’s capability approach. Opportunities are not real if we don’t feel welcome; if we are not able to get in; if there is no transportation available; if we face constant discrimination; if we don’t understand what is on offer; or if we don’t have enough money or time to take part. I am interested in creating better experiences for real people. People who are curious and open to new things but also to people who are at times lazy, prejudiced, busy, cautious, lonely, easily intimidated, or stuck in their conventions. In a conversation I had with her in Helsinki in 2016, she emphasized that people always have the right not to join or show up. But the public sector has a responsibility to keep searching for better ways of inviting people in.

Convivencia

But what happens when we are successful in getting people to open their front door and actually show up? How people with different motivations, prejudices, skills, and abilities can share space and resources? And more importantly, how does this sharing happen in an equitable manner? In my work, I utilize the Latin American concept of convivencia to describe the required capabilities for navigating friction. I think it is useful in thinking about public spaces as the goal in convivencia is not to resolve differences but to get along. It recognizes friction and emphasizes active practice and negotiation.

Newsletter

In my new monthly newsletter, I will highlight ways that civic institutions and public organizations foster convivencia by introducing and implementing clever policies. I will explain the policies in an easily understandable manner and feature the people behind them. I will also include recommendations on more reading and watching on co-existence.

I hope you subscribe.