Urban Governance of Employment Activation. The Case of Barcelona Activa (Spain) Governan a urbana em ativa o do emprego: o caso de Barcelona Activa (Espanha)

Within the framework of rescaling nation-State and improving new modes of governance, activation policieshave to be interpreted as qualified initiatives for economic growth and social integration at a subnationallevel and, specifically, in regional and urban contexts. Barcelona Activa is the local agency of theBarcelona City Council (Spain) designed for business improvement and employment quality through horizontalsubsidiary and public-private partnerships. This agency acts as a pivotal body of the municipaladministration in order to implement a variety of programs aimed at labour and professional empowerment,small and medium-sized companies creation and urban marketing. The paper focuses on BarcelonaActiva s strategies, outcomes and criticisms in the current financial crisis, approaching its institutional rolefor the development of Barcelona as one of the main southern gateways to Europe.