Associativity in the Bogotá metropolitan region: coordination challenges in a fragmented region

Abstract

The Bogotá Metropolitan Region represents a paradox as it is yet to establish a metropolitan entity. The official discourse on the integration of Colombia’s capital city, Bogotá Capital District, with its surrounding municipalities is at odds with the reality of uncoordinated governance. This research addresses the local and provincial roles of public and private associations in peripheral municipalities, identifying a profound geographical differentiation between public action largely confined to a provincial scale due to the lack of local public governance capacity and the factors that inhibit effective provincial-scale public action and the way private associations have sought to address consequent gaps in service provision.