Abstract

In many European countries the negotiation is a central element of policy strategies and instruments within different domains: local development, urban regeneration, social policies. That implies the development of formalized agreements between public and private actors and the institution of decision-making arenas open to local societies and to their organizations. The article analyses two instruments of negotiated planning that have been experiencing an increasing importance in Italy: the Area Social Plans and the Neighbourhood Contracts. It attempts to stress the ways these instruments are put into practice within local governance contexts. The aim is to focus on the mechanisms of coordination between the actors and the dynamics of distribution of power and to enlighten their implications on the relationship between politics and policies.