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Although it is a promising theory for understanding complex ongoing political processes, historical institutionalism has rarely been used to adress urban management and urban planning issues. We aim to (re)construct the trajectory of management and dissemination of communication and information technologies (ICTs) in Curitiba to identify critical junctures and events. Methodologically, it is a case study based on documents and discourse analysis. The results show that Curitiba used to be avant-garde in technological diffusion but today it develops more responsive than anticipatory actions; over time, the role of technology diffusion and management shifted from the urban management and planning structure to the direct municipal administration structure; technological initiatives have always taken place and are taking place sharply and decentrally for the consolidation of an ecosystem; the ideals of forming a digital or a smart city were motivators of Curitiba's current situation. The ideology underlying the game of politicians and party affiliations has been put aside in alignments of local groups to carry out technological adjustments; and that the management and diffusion of ICTs remain controversial in political disputes. The conclusion is that the political-technology dyad has absorbed the impacts of critical events, resulting in the remodeling of municipal institutions and organizations linked to the management and diffusion of ICTs that also need to deal with the game of interests and external pressures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to broaden understanding of the phenomenon of legitimacy of civil society organizations (CSOs), interpreting it in the light of the critical capacity theory, proposed by Boltanski and Thévenot (2006). More specifically, it identifies, by means of discourse analysis of representative actors from the field, which are the justifications supporting the action and existence of CSOs, providing them with legitimacy. Having as a basis the theoretical framework and an analysis of the trajectory of the field in Brazil, some hypotheses were formulated: 1) that several reasonings are used in the justifications; 2) that the meeting between these reasonings provokes disputes and conflicts; 3) that it enables constructing footbridges; and 4) that there are predominant reasonings isolating the existence of other ones. Through discourse content analysis of 46 representative actors of the field of CSOs in the Brazilian South region, the hypotheses were tested and we found out that the predominant legitimacy dimensions in these CSOs are the pragmatic and moral, which stimulate the adaptation of CSOs to externally set standards, making plurality and, thus, democracy in the field weaker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]