Urban Politics and Policy

In this refreshing and much needed text, Michael Goldsmith and Harold Wolman present a new approach to the study of urban politics which will be welcomed by students and teachers alike. Focusing on the effects of urban politics upon the well-being of urban residents, the authors examine the institutions, processes and policies which help to shape the lives of all city-dwellers. Drawing on cross-national data throughout, the differing cases of the United States and Britain are used to illuminate each other and to support a better understanding of the role of contemporary urban politics in the creation or destruction of urban well-being. Beginning with an introduction to urban politics as a field of study, successive chapters then survey the theories developed to describe or justify different models of local government; the definition of urban well-being; the nature of urban societies; and the role of local governments within the national system of intergovernmental relations. The scope and function of urban government activity is then set within the broad context of citizen demands and the role of individuals in local politics. Finally, the authors examine urban politics in action: in the policy process, in decision making, and in the outcomes of urban policies.