The Dependent City? External Influences upon Local Control

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The meshing of American cities with nationalizing forces raises the possibility that local control may be either depleted (sandbox model) or enhanced (shopping mall model). The article uses these two models to review urban decisional spaces in light of three major externalizing influences. Higher government mandating is often pictured as power depleting, although evidence of budget and law contents alone may be deceptive. Power depleting is possible from aggregate resource concentration in the economy by corporations and unions, a little studied externality that local systems pay. Finally, the spread of urban professional leadership may influence local agenda setting, with consequences of either power depletion or enhancement. Research implications stemming from this analysis are suggested.

This publication has 24 references indexed in Scilit: