ACCOUNTABILITY AND BLAMING: ATTRIBUTIONS, POSITIONS, AND POWER PLAYS DURING A SLUM IMPROVEMENT

This article aimed to analyze the processes of accountability and blaming among individuals with different institutional and community affiliations involved in the urban improvement of a precarious settlement, whose implementation faced delays and various issues. Field notes were the resources used to record interactions, and the qualitative, inductive, and discursive analysis focused on the attributions, positionings, and power dynamics identified. The results show the use of different strategies for avoiding or attributing blame and responsibility in the process and their relation to the exercise of power and positionings of government authorities, technicians, advisors, and residents. It is concluded that the study adds complexity to the understanding of blame and responsibility attributions from a discursive perspective.

Keywords:
Accountability; Blame; Urban reform; Power dynamics; Discourse