Bogotá: social and business innovation in garbage collection - public policy beyond neoliberal vision

Abstract

This study deals withthe social innovation that is occurring in the city of Bogotá (Colombia) following the recognition given by the Constitutional Court of Colombiaof the work of independent recyclers to assist in the provision of waste collection services and recovery of recyclable materials. The Court's judgment is one important step towards the recovery of the regulatory capacity of the state for the provision of public services, the implementation of which corresponds to the executive power (mayors). Application of the Court´s provisions required the creation of a new model of garbage collection focused on public companies, a move of Bogotá´s mayoraway from traditional neoliberal policies that provoked strong social, political, and business reactions. This paper describes and analyzes the process, its achievements and the growing political, human, and business difficulties, as well as its political implications.