It has been a privilege and a pleasure for me to work with colleagues from IGOP for the past four years – especially with the greatly esteemed Dr. Ismael Blanco, but also with many other researchers. They include Iolande Bianchi, Ramon Canal, Helena Cruz, Marc Marti-Costa, Marga Leon, Marc Pares and Yuni Salazar. Our Centre for Urban Research on Austerity has worked particularly closely with IGOP on two major projects, the Spanish government funded TRANSGOB (The Role of Participatory Urban Governance in Times of Crisis and Austerity) project – see https://transgob.net/, and the UK-funded ESRC project, Collaborative Governance Under Austerity: An Eight Case Comparative Study – see http://cura.our.dmu.ac.uk/category/austerity-governance. Our common intellectual focus has been to try and understand the evolving urban politics of the local state-civil society interface, during intense and growing crises of neoliberalism, urban entrepreneurialism and late capitalism.
IGOP represents the very best of academic practice through its inclusivity, collegiality, partnership-building skills and commitment to changing society for the better
I have found that IGOP represents the very best of academic practice through its inclusivity, collegiality, partnership-building skills and commitment to changing society for the better. At a time of great uncertainty and danger, but also great potential for creating new worlds, I hope it continues on its present course with ever-greater energy and determination. I look forward to future collaborations with this outstanding team.
Dr. Davies, Jonathan S.
Director – Centre for Urban Research on Austerity
DE MONTFORT UNIVERSITY
