Causal Mechanisms of Social Participation: an Application to Urban Regeneration

Abstract

A focus on ‘causal mechanisms’ aids in identifying the causal powers of the different factors that intervene in carrying out a specific policy and in defining the configuration of elements that produce a certain result. This approach was applied in the case of the URBANA programme (2007- 2013) in Alcalá de Guadaíra (Spain), where there was a significant increase in social participation in comparison to other municipalities participating in the same programme. Through studying this case, a theory aimed at discovering the causal mechanisms that triggered this result was constructed, with its possible transferability in mind. A quantitative methodology was applied to select the case, while in-depth interviews with various actors involved in the initiative were used to identify the causal mechanisms.