INSTITUTIONAL MEDIATION AND PERIPHERAL URBAN DEVELOPMENT: THE ROLE OF UNIVERSITY IN THE AMAZON

Abstract

Peripheral cities often host public universities expected to promote urban development, yet the mechanisms linking anchor institutions to territorial transformation remain poorly understood. This study examines how institutional mediation shapes urban development in contexts of limited state capacity, using the implementation of a federal university in the Brazilian Amazon as an interpretive mixed-methods case. Household surveys (n = 53), semi-structured interviews, descriptive statistics, and content analysis reveal persistent governance failures, infrastructure deficits, and weak institutional coordination. Rather than acting solely through economic presence, the university emerges as an anchor institution capable of mediating relations between communities and local governments. The findings advance an institutional explanation of peripheral urban development, highlighting coordination capacity as a critical mechanism connecting anchor institutions to territorial change.