The Institutionalisation of Civic Initiatives

Introduction: A puzzling observation; Exploring institutionalisation in civic initiatives; Approaching civic initiatives: conceptual cornerstones of research; Research methods: exploring two long-standing European civic initiatives; Book structure; Theorising civic initiatives: direct civic actions, public problems, and institutions: The limits of seeing civic initiatives as experimental generators of public effects; Rooting civic initiatives in action: the experience of public problems and direct civic action; Civic initiatives and institutions: introducing a dynamic conceptualisation; Encountering new problematic situations: experience and innovation; Institutionalising direct civic action in and beyond civic initiatives: Establishing practices based on friendship and autonomy: Stanica in Zilina, Slovakia; Mixing activism and professionalism: Mains d'oeuvres in St-Ouen, France; Instituting practices, public services and models of direct civic action: Institutionalised civic initiatives and new problematic situations; The Nova Synagoga project: an experimental renovation of national heritage; The Espace Imaginaire project: co-managing an open field of possibilities; Trajectories of experimentation: blocked innovations and wider transformations; The evolutions of direct civic action: Approaching problematic situations through direct civic actions; Civic initiatives and public policy; Direct civic action as a model for intervention; Conclusion: Understanding the institutionalisation of civic initiatives; Suggestions for public policies and policy-making; Limits and future directions for research; Looking back, and looking forward.