Religious Governance in Interaction: Network Analysis of Public Management of Religion in Province of Buenos Aires (Argentina)

Despite the unchanged nature of the general regulatory framework, the last decade has witnessed the emergence of new forms of governance over religious affairs at the local and provincial levels in Buenos Aires (Argentina). These initiatives constitute, on the one hand, a response to the demands presented by religious groups that were once invisible and experiencing marked demographic growth. On the other hand, they are a way of integrating religious expertise into territorial governance strategies, given the structural ineffectiveness of public policies in locally grounding them. In view of this scenario, this article will present a network and dynamic analysis of the public management of religion at the local and intermediate levels in the province of Buenos Aires. Specifically, we will give an account of the genesis of these state units, as well as the profiles of the political decision makers who direct them and the interactions between local and provincial religious affairs officials in the period of 2022–2023. Based on these data, we will evaluate the levels of innovation that these regulations present with respect to the general normative framework and the limits and advantages that they postulate in the face of the question of religious citizenship. In methodological terms, this research combines the analysis of secondary sources, participant observation, in-depth interviews, and network analysis.