New York City Politics: Governing Gotham / Edition 1

by Bruce F. Berg

Overview

Most experts consider economic development to be the dominant factor influencing urban politics. They point to the importance of the finance and real estate industries, the need to improve the tax base, and the push to create jobs. Bruce F. Berg maintains that there are three forces which are equally important in New York City politics:

• Economic development.
• The city’s relationships with the state and the federal governments, which influence taxation, revenue, and public policy responsibilities.
• New York City’s racial and ethnic diversity, resulting in calls for representation, recognition, and equity in the delivery of services.

Berg’s focus is on all three forces, as well as the interplay among them.   Along the way, Berg covers a range of topics, including the Dinkins, Giuliani, and Bloomberg administrations; the battles over sports arenas; party politics; rising immigrant groups and the role of their leaders; changes to the city’s charter; and New York City politics in the post-9/11 era.

An engaging look at the complex nature of urban politics, this book is the only one of its kind to offer a comprehensive narrative of the challenges, frustrations, and successes of New York’s governing institutions, and their prospects for meeting the city’s long-term needs.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780813541914
Publisher:	Rutgers University Press
Publication date:	11/12/2007
Series:	None Series
Edition description:	Older Edition
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

BRUCE F. BERG chairs the political science department at Fordham University, where he is an associate professor.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
 
1 Introduction
 
2 The Economic Development Imperative
 
3 The State and the City
 
4 The Federal Government and the City
 
5 Racial and Ethnic Diversity
 
6 Political Parties and New York City Governance
 
7 The Charter, The Mayor, and the Other Guys
 
8 The City Council
 
9 The Municipal Bureaucracy
 
10 Conclusion
 
References
 
Index

Editorial Reviews

"The study of metropolitan governance in terms of democratic accountability, civil harmony, and service delivery remains a fascinating research area. Berg examines the governance of New York City within its economic, intergovernmental, and social context arguing that these forces constrain decision making by those within and outside the formal structures of government. Recommended." 

Choice

One cannot test the validity of an approach to the study of urban gover­nance based on the behavior of one urban political system, even if that city is the largest city in the country. And no claim regarding the external validity of this approach is made in New York City Politics. But implicit in this study is the hope that others will find this approach valuable and utilize it to examine the governance of other cities' political systems.”
 

Sir Read A Lot

"The study of metropolitan governance in terms of democratic accountability, civil harmony, and service delivery remains a fascinating research area. Berg examines the governance of New York City within its economic, intergovernmental, and social context arguing that these forces constrain decision making by those within and outside the formal structures of government. Recommended." 

Choice - A. E. Wohlers

"A definitive, thoughtful, and thought-provoking work of exceptional scholarship, "New York City Politics" is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Political Science collections." 

Midwest Book Review

"A definitive, thoughtful, and thought-provoking work of exceptional scholarship, "New York City Politics" is unreservedly recommended for community and academic library Contemporary Political Science collections." 

From the Publisher