Midterm Flashcards
Lost Worlds/New Possibilities (Katznelson)
Abilities to analyze urban politics hindered by available tools. “Systems of meaning” inadequate in explaining the full story of how cities developed
Economic Place of the city (Katznelson)
Cities were hubs for manufacturing by the 1840s after the advent of “railroad towns”. Now cities remain economic monoliths with immediate access to branch managers, execs, etc.
Dependent Politics (Katznelson)
Most of the social problems of contemporary cities are the result of uneven development of American capitalism. The relationship between city and suburb has made the former the repository for many problems - relying on federal/statutory aid. (Urban Politics is a politics of dependency)
Buffers (Katznelson)
Control apparatus of society may be viewed as a set of coercive, institutional. and symbolic buffers that induce or compel people to act against their interests (usually by just doing nothing). Many residents of cities (minorities)have developed a corporate group consciousness that opposes the dominant meaning system that makes people comply in their subordination.
Social Control (Katznelson)
Employs Marxist political-economic concepts to describe major trends in urban affairs. Function of social control is management of consequences of making capitalism work –> a management, not overcoming of the flaws in capitalism.
Urban Struggle and Mimetic Responses (Katznelson)
Urban authorities respond
to crisis of control by (1) utilizing the available mech-
anisms of bureaucratic control (including
police repression) and by (2) attempting to create functional substitutes for the largely defunct political machines
Defining the City Interest (Peterson)
Policies and programs that maintain or enhance economic position, social prestige, or political city taken as a whole. A policy is in a city’s interest, when it can impact social relationships structured by their taking place within the city’s boundaries.
Economic Interests (Peterson)
It is in the city’s interest to help sustain a high quality local infrastructure that attracts all commerce and industry. (Land, Labor, Capital - 1st most important). Urban politics is the politics of land use, so land is the factor of production over which cities exercise the greatest control.
National Development and the Cities (2: Hinze, Judd)
US was initially very agrarian and rural. Industrial labor needed a workforce that was cheap and efficient which is where the Irish and many other immigrants came in. Immigration and divergence in culture led to graft and hostility and these dynamics still shape Urban Politics today. Waves of foreign immigration stoked conflict - in fact, the creation of the suburbs was a thing because many were afraid of the “morally dubious minorities” in cities.
Inter-Urban Rivalries (2: Hinze, Judd)
“Place luck” and constant fighting for railroad access, turnpikes, canals, et. Many fledgling cities went into debt trying to get these things done in the hopes of paying off with increased revenue. Many cities succeed but many more failed.
Industrialization and Community (2: Hinze, Judd)
Transition from aristocratic mercantilism to the industrial city with the advent of navigable waterways, harbors, and a necessity to expand an exclusive economy. There also was a transformation of small businesses to large conglomerates that attracted/spawned many wealthy businessmen who were not shy to display their affluence. This caused an increasing disparage in rapport between the employer and employee.
Immigrant Tide (2: Hinze, Judd)
Immigrants offered cheaper labor; between 1820-1919, 35.5 million foreign immigrants came to the U.S. (mostly Irish)
The Capacity to Govern (2: Hinze, Judd)
Growing cities required growing governments who could adequately represent the desires of the people. There were many complaints with the current system with a lacking police force, no promotion of local economies, etc. Municipal services were just not enough to keep up with the diverse and urgent needs of the city proper.
Limited Powers of Cities (2: Hinze, Judd)
National government was distant and indifferent to city issues. Cities left to their own devices
Machines and Machine-Style Politics (3: Hinze, Judd)
Style of politics that relied on material incentive to engender loyalty among any particular bloc of voters (in this case, specifically immigrant voters) It was viewed as a patronage job led by a boss in an incredibly hierarchical system - expended great energy to mobilize voters Burt maintained influence through internal systems of command, coordination, and control.
Origins of Machine Politics (3: Hinze, Judd)
Urban machines were made possible by the emergence of a mass electorate and industrialization. POC were disenfranchised, but Jacksonian Democracy allowed many common white people to vote. Combined with the explosive growth of cities, ethnic incumbents could consolidate power relatively easily.
