The agent-centred concept of 'reflexivity' has received
considerable attention in sociology (Garfinkel 1967, Giddens 1984,
Bryant and Jary 1997) albeit the debate concerning the relationship
between agency and structure, or indeed the problems associated
with the presentation of such a duality, still engage. From a
different perspective with origins in economic geography, Storper
(1997) has put forward an alternative conception of reflexivity,
which resonates with ideas of collective learning (rather
than focussing on the limits or otherwise of individual
agents).
This paper takes as its theoretical start point
notions of collective reflexivity in attempting to explain some
of the differences in political governance and economic development
evidenced in the two cities of Manchester, UK, and Lyon, France
(Randles 2000, Randles and Dicken forthcoming). Juxtaposing the
two city-contexts, the comparative case studies suggest that differences
exist in the mode and salience of collective reflexive thinking
and action embodied in the political élites of each city. Further,
historical analysis is used to suggest these differences may be
traced in terms of path dependency producing qualitative
differences in collective reflexivity. Temporalities and their
connection to processes of transformation - particularly deep
understandings of long histories and their connections, via the
present, to far-away futures, are thus cornerstones of what we
might call collective reflexivity. The logical progression
of this notion would be a high degree of optimism concerning the
ability of local agents to shape their own destiny and with it
that of local territories. It is also proposed, importantly, that
collective reflexivity may itself produce an uneven geography.
Of course, such a position would be challenged vociferously
by many geographers, concerned to point out the limits of local
autonomy in the face of internationalising tendencies (of production,
of finance) over which the 'local' has little or no control. In
this regard, the case studies draw attention to structural factors
operating well above the scale of the city which have undoubtedly
impacted on the economic and political-governance trajectories
of each city. The paper concludes by recognising the salience
of multi-scalar, and scale-contingent perspectives, as a brake
on the more optimistic readings of the capabilities of sub-national
territorial foresight and its capabilities to bring about the
collective will or 'vision' of local agents.
KEY WORDS : Reflexivity, foresight,
cities, governance, scale, economic development.
[View
Paper] [Back
to CRIC Papers]
Centre
for Research on Innovation and Competition
