Bias

1
Bias Change in Urban Metropolitan Politics
USA
2
(No Transcript)
3
The Bias of Political Organization

• Urban political structures not neutral
• Examples
• Ethnic leaders viewed civil service reforms as
  the curse of the nation
• Metropolitan governments opposed by
  African-American leaders
• Bussing in school districts opposed by ethnics
  and suburban whites

4
The Bias of Political Organization

• Zoning regulations
• often used to exclude poor

5
Common Themes of Urban Politics in the United
States

• First Theme
• Participants in the political process anticipate
  that major changes in
• governmental structures,
• boundaries,
• decision making processes
• Produce policy changes that would be for or
  against their interests

6
Common Themes of Urban Politics in the United
States

• Second Theme
• Most important urban political issues now involve
  more than the central cities
• suburbs the exurbs
• metropolitan-level structures of government
• federal government
• Contemporary politics of the central city and the
  entire metropolitan region are intertwined, not
  separate

7
Common Themes of Urban Politics in the United
States

• Third Theme
• Key issues at stake involved changes in either
• channels through which citizens would have
  political access to key decision matters
• Or direct social access to important amenities of
  urban life
• Examples
• quality education
• housing
• transportation

8
Common Themes of Urban Politics in the United
States

• Fourth Theme
• Federal government has become a key participant
  in urban and metropolitan politics
• Washington influences decisions on housing,
  education and intra-urban transportation
• Above issues previously were viewed as
  exclusively local prerogatives

9
The Nature of Change in Metropolitan Politics
Latin America

• Abrupt change imposed from above (the national
  level)
• Change in rules of the game as opposed to
  change in government
• Fidel Castros abolition of the mayor-council
  system (modeled on the US.) of government for
  Havana
• Reorganization in Buenos Aires following the
  constitutional reform of 1994
• Creation of the Metropolitan District in Caracas
  upon adoption of a new constitution (1999)

10
The Nature of Change in Metropolitan Politics of
the United States

• Incrementalism has predominated
• Three historical periods of urban/metropolitan
  politics
• Age of political machines
• Progressive movement
• Period of the dependent city

11
Two Watershed Presidencies(post World War II)

• Lyndon B. Johnson (1963-69) bringing the federal
  government in (Great Society)
• Ronald W. Reagan (1981-89) distancing the federal
  government from the cities

12
Contemporary Local Government Fragmentation
(Counties)
13
Contemporary Local Government Fragmentation
(Municipalities of Allegheny County PA.
14
Contemporary Local Government Fragmentation (U.S.
Total 87,453)

• Other Regular Subdivisions
• Town/Township
• School District

15
Contemporary Local Government Fragmentation (U.S.
Total 87,453)

• Special District
• Tri-State Port Authority
• Services Metropolitan New York (N.Y. N. New
  Jersey W. Connecticut)

16
Bias, Change, and Political Power Critical
Conceptual Clarifications

• Political Power the ability to influence public
  decisions
• Critical Dimensions of political power
• Context of Power
• Structure of Power
• Public Power and Private power

17
Tradition of Privatism in Urban United States

• Quaker Philadelphia Puritan Boston
• Priority on individual and private sector
• Priority to the leadership in the public sector
• Sam Warner The Private City (Philadelphia

18
Changing EmphasisPrivate vs Public Sectors

• Priority to private sector following the Civil
  War
• Wealth increasingly concentrated in 1890s
• Wilson administration (1913 1920)
• Role of government increased
• Heavy handed national security policies leads to
  election of conservative Republican Warren G.
  Harding
• Social and economic Darwinism Ascendant in 1920s

19
Punctuated Expansion of Role of Federal
Government

• New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt
• Great Society of Lyndon Johnson
• Reagan Revolution resurrects support for smaller
  government
• Government problem not solution
• Bush I and Clinton continue the policies
• More leeway to capitalist institutions under
  George W. Bush
• Differential Impacts of Privatization
• Affluent
• Less fortunate

20
Barak Obama

• Concern with the negative consequences of Bush
  administrations reliance on private sector
• Affinity for plight of underclass in the cities
• Greater confidence in the capabilities of
  government