Ação coletiva e o problema de coordenação

The problem of coordination concerns how to make actions or choices of social agents (individuals or organizations) match in the right way. Some problems of coordination are also problems of separation. In many cases of lack of coordination, communication is faulty or not very reliable. Sometimes, the expectations of the agents in the problem- situation fulfill the fundamental role of achieving coordination. But successful coordination may need not only institutions, customs, or beliefs, but also technology, in some appropriate combination. The complementary problem is to find out a mechanism of lock-in, in order that the coordinated result become steady and persist. In this text, these thoughts are applied to issues of public policies concerning community safety, international relations, combating unjust discrimination, public health, metrology and standardization, consumer protection, support of small business, as well as urban policy.