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Rethinking Bridging: Risk and Trust in Multiracial Community Organizing

Rusch, L. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:08:17 PST

Existing research on social capital advocates for an increase in bridging as an antidote to the "dark side" of bonding. But theory also suggests that the development of new social capital is unlikely in contexts of generalized distrust. This article addresses that quandary through the study of a congregation-based community organizing project in Detroit. Narratives drawn from interviews suggest that bridging also has downsides; potential risks from bridging are a concern for participants in multiracial organizing. I argue that the creation of bridging social capital is possible in part because organizers, clergy, and lay leaders act as conduits, intentionally building interpersonal trust among unlikely participants.

Crafting Urban Policy: The Conditions of Public Support for Urban Policy Initiatives

Lawrence, E., Stoker, R., Wolman, H. — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:08:17 PST

This article assesses how policy framing and targeting may influence public support for federal initiatives that address urban problems. Does directing federal aid to specific target groups, programmatic uses, or types of cities affect the level of public support? To explore these questions, the authors conducted two survey experiments asking whether respondents support aid to cities while randomly varying the framing and targeting conditions. The evidence suggests that some framing and targeting strategies (particularly, targeting specific programmatic uses) do affect public support for urban aid. The authors conclude by discussing the implications of the analysis for support for federal urban assistance.

The Evolution of Citizenship in a Divided Urban Community: Local Citizen Engagement in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Hays, R. A. — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:56:14 PST

This article explores the complex interactions between national citizenship and local citizenship in the divided city of Belfast, Northern Ireland, as they are emerging a decade after the 1998 Good Friday peace agreement was signed. Utilizing in-depth, qualitative interviews with citizens with varied community roles and perspectives, combined with a media survey, this article addresses the question of how local citizenship is evolving in Belfast and how the evolution of a shared local citizenship may ultimately affect national citizenship. The study of this unique case sheds light on the broader theoretical question of the relationship between local and national citizenship within a democratic polity.

Urban Managers and Public Policy: Do Institutional Arrangements Influence Decisions to Initiate Policy?

Krebs, T. B., Pelissero, J. P. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 09:46:26 PDT

Here the authors examine the policy behavior of urban administrators in the area of reinventing government. They argue that managers in places with institutions that tend to produce conflict will be less active in policy making than their counterparts in less conflict-prone environments.They test their model with data from a survey of urban administrators in cities with populations greater than 10,000.The findings indicate that managers are significantly less likely to propose policies where mayors are strong and in places that use partisan ballots in the selection of local elected officials, holding constant other factors likely to affect policy initiation.

Gender Differences in Willingness to Pay for Urban Public Services

Alozie, N., McNamara, C. — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:00:29 PDT

The "vote" urban residents cast when they make decisions about public services has implications for service delivery in local government. We utilize probability data from one of the nation’s largest municipalities to explore potential gender disparities in willingness to pay for local public services: whether men and women differ in their general orientation toward paying for services; whether any gender gaps are exacerbated in particular service areas; and whether any gender disparities have implications for community governance. Men and women report strong predisposition to paying generally, although glaring gender gaps exist that are both theoretically and practically insightful.

Building "Community" in Mixed-Income Developments: Assumptions, Approaches, and Early Experiences

Chaskin, R. J., Joseph, M. L. — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 15:00:29 PDT

As an urban-redevelopment strategy, the goals of mixed-income development are often talked about in terms of building "community"—the shaping of environments, opportunities, and social arrangements that promote healthy neighborhood life, particularly for the low-income people who live there. This article explores the strategies engaged, expectations for, and early responses to efforts to build "community" in three mixed-income developments being built on the footprint of former public housing developments in Chicago. In doing so, it investigates the expectations among residents and stakeholders, distills and explores three major strategic orientations being engaged by developers and their partners, and examines how these strategies in particular—and the building of community more generally—is playing out across sites, including the dynamics and conditioning factors that promote or inhibit participation, engagement, interaction, and the shaping of social cohesion and social control.