Of all the questions that might be asked about political life, it
would be difficult to find one of greater interest than the ancient
query: who rules over whom? It appeals powerfully to our curiosity. We
want to know who ""runs"" things--who makes policy decisions in New
York, Washington, London, or the town in which we live. Is it a single
powerful individual, an economic elite, a series of elites, the
citizens, political bosses, or some variant of these possibilities?The
major purpose of this volume is to find an answer to this question for
a small American city, and to extend the answer through relevant
theory to American cities in general. But much more precisely, answers
are sought for these interrelated questions: What are the
relationships between the rulers and the ruled? How are the rulers
related to each other? Are the rulers the same for all policies or do
they differ from one area of policy to another? How do leaders arise,
and in what way are they different from other people?The issues
discussed in this volume are familiar to many towns. They range from
controversies about the building of a new water system to housing and
zoning codes, from charity appeals to low-income housing, from
nominations and elections to industrial development and off-street
parking. Wildavsky draws parallels to other community studies and
formulates general propositions in support of his thesis that American
communities are pluralist. And ultimately, Wildavsky is optimistic
that small towns foster citizen participation, giving the population
more of a chance to direct its own future.Aaron Wildavsky was, until
his death in 1993, professor of political science and public policy at
the University of California, Berkeley, and, while working on the
present study, taught at Oberlin College. Transaction has posthumously
published Wildavsky's complete essays and papers in five
volumes.Nelson W. Polsby is Heller Professor of Political Science at
the University of California, Berkeley, wh
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781351509435
Publisert
2017
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
Routledge
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter