This book examines two civic initiatives in Europe and analyses their evolution through the institutionalisation of their practices, local public effects, and established models for action at broader scales. Drawing from the concepts of civic action, problematic situations, public problems, and experience, this book coins the concept of direct civic action to explore civic initiatives beyond sectorial categories. It draws from the histories, everyday activities, and encounters with new problematic situations of a Slovak and a French initiative. It analyses the institutionalisation of their internal practices, their public cultural services, the models for action they establish in broader networks of initiatives, and how institutionalisation affects their experimentation and innovation. This book uses two case studies of civic initiatives in France and Slovakia, examining how the experimental and institutionalised approaches to problematic situations of civic initiatives are associated with the generation and continuative reproduction of public goods and policies. It also explores how local initiatives establish national and international networks and models for direct civic action. This book is aimed at scholars interested in civic initiatives, urban planning, public policies, innovation studies, and urban sociology. It is intended to engage members of civic initiatives by offering insights into organisational dynamics and their impact on public issues. Furthermore, it appeals to public officials and policy-makers who aim to establish policies that promote civic initiatives and encourage direct civic action.

Table of Contents:
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 Žilina, Slovakia; Mixing activism and professionalism: Mains d'œuvres in St-Ouen, France; Instituting practices, public services and models of direct civic action: Institutionalised civic initiatives and new problematic situations; The Nová Synagóga 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.