Social class, politics, and urban markets : the makings of bias in policy outcomes / Herman L. Boschken. [electronic resource]

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Boschken, Herman L.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Local transit--Government policy--United States.

Local transit.

Local transit--United States--Finance.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xvi, 220 p. ) ill. ;

Place of Publication:

Stanford, Calif. : Stanford University Press, c2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

"This book is about the policymaking of public agencies in large American cities. Based on a decade of research, it studies urban mass transit in terms of the factors that bias the industry's policy outcomes to benefit one public or another. Why is there a great variance of outcomes among agencies? What are the important taproots of bias in policymaking? How does the pattern of outcomes correspond to the American mosaic of public interests?" "The book's second - broader and more important - purpose is to demonstrate the value of social science theory in making sense of urban processes and the responsiveness of governmental policymaking in a plural society. The book analyzes the applicability of six rival theses - derived from political science, economics, administrative theory, sociology, social psychology, and urban planning - to understanding the forces that mold policymaking in American metropolitan areas."--Jacket.

Contents:

Part I. Skewing Outcomes in Agency Policymaking

1 Urban Settings: The Origins of Bias in Policy Outcomes 3

2 Policy Outcomes from a Multiple-Constituencies Perspective 28

Part II. Rival Theses

3 The Upper-Middle-Class Genre and Other Socioeconomic Influences 53

4 Institutionalism and the Politics of Intergovernmental Exchange 76

5 Markets, Technology, and Urban Spatial Form 91

Part III. Results, Analysis, and Implications

6 Determining Outcomes: What Matters Most? 117

7 Paths of Indirect Relationships: Rival or Complementary Theses? 136

8 Interpretations and Implications 150

9 Policy Outcomes in Global Cities: Symbolism and Upper-Middle-Class Influence 173

A The Transit Agency Sample 187

B Transit Performance Measures 190.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

ISBN:

1-4175-0143-X