Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

This paper explores IBM’s Smarter Cities Challenge as an example of global smart city pol- icymaking. The evolution of IBM’s smart city thinking is discussed, then a case study of Phi- ladelphia’s online workforce education initiative, Digital On-Ramps, is presented as an example of IBM’s consulting services. Philadelphia’s rationale for working with IBM and the translation of IBM’s ideas into locally adapted initiatives is considered. The paper argues that critical scholarship on the smart city over-emphasizes IBM’s agency in driving the discourse. Unpacking how and why cities enrolled in smart city policymaking with IBM places city governments as key actors …