The Nation-State and Urban Governance: Toward Multilevel Analysis

In recent international comparative studies of urban governance, the nation-state has usually figured as a direct influence on local government and politics. This article, drawing on case studies of a similar U.S. city and German city, demonstrates the need for a new, more sophisticated conception o...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Urban affairs review (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) Calif.), 2002-05, Vol.37 (5), p.611-641
Main Author: Sellers, Jefferey M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case studies
Cities
Comparative analysis
Comparative studies
Development Policy
Economics
Elite
Environmental Policy
Federal and municipal relations
Federal Republic of Germany
Germany
Governance
Government and politics
Local culture
Local government
Madison, Wisconsin
Multilevel models
Municipal government
Münster, Germany
Nation state
Nation states
Political attitudes
Political economy
Social movements
Social Policy
Social sciences
U.S.A
United States of America
Urban Areas
Urban studies
USA
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Summary:In recent international comparative studies of urban governance, the nation-state has usually figured as a direct influence on local government and politics. This article, drawing on case studies of a similar U.S. city and German city, demonstrates the need for a new, more sophisticated conception of the effects from national institutions. In the German city, a pro-business coalition carried out extensive social and environmental policies. In the U.S. city, a progressive coalition subordinated social and to a lesser degree environmental objectives to developmental aims. To account for these results, the author proposes and applies a typology of national institutional contexts. These contexts influenced urban governance not only through direct effects on the choices of local elites and activists but through indirect effects on translocal economies, urban economies, and local culture.
ISSN:1078-0874
1552-8332
DOI:10.1177/107808740203700501