This book is concerned with developing an in-depth understanding of contemporary political and spatial analyses of cities. In the three-part development of the book's overall argument or premise, the reader is taken in Part I through a range of contemporary critical and political understandings of urban securitizing. This is followed by an historical urban landscape of emerging liberalism and neo-liberalism, in nineteenth-century Britain and twentieth-century United States, respectively. These case-study historical chapters enable the introduction of key political issues that are more critically assayed in Parts II and III. With Part II, the reader is introduced in depth to a series of spatial analyses undertaken by Michel Foucault that have been crucial for especially late-twentieth and twenty-first century urban theory and political geography. With Part III the full ramifications of a paradigmatic shift are explored at the level of rethinking territory, population and design. This book is timely and useful for readers who want to develop a stronger understanding of what the book's researchers term a new political paradigm in urban planning, one ultimately governed by global economic forces that define the end of probability.

Comprised of a series of national case studies, this book critically examines initiatives in public participation and their relationship to developments in community governance. As such, the case studies enable national perspectives to be applied to crucial features of modern public policy and politics. Focusing on case studies in areas which are undergoing major social and institutional transformation and/or which raise particular issues because of the marginal position of the areas within their nation-states, the book also concerns itself with developments in Western European countries and why people should logically support some but not other initiatives in public participation. This book will be very useful for students and academics in areas such as politics, public administration, social policy and sociology. It should also be of interest to local activists such as councillors, members of pressure groups and those concerned about modern trends in democracy.

The first local history of Napoleonic France to appear in the English language, Inside Napoleonic France: State and Society in Rouen, 1800-1815 redresses the traditional neglect of regional history during this period. Relying on extensive French archival sources, Gavin Daly sets out to investigate the nature of the Napoleonic state and its short and longer-term impact upon local society. Specifically, it examines the question of state power and its implementation and reception at a local level, the relationship between central government and the regions, the social and economic impact of war and how the Napoleonic regime addressed Rouen's revolutionary past. Having carefully studied these issues, Daly argues that despite an unprecedented degree of social control, the Napoleonic state was not all-powerful, and that the central government's power was tempered by local considerations. It is this interaction between the representatives of central government and the regional elites which provides the central focus of the book.

City Hall Goes Abroad provides a systematic examination of local activism, specifically city governments acting on international issues. It delineates the growth of these activities in the past two decades, focusing on four issues: the comprehensive test ban, nuclear-free zone declarations, divestment from South Africa, and sanctuary for Central American refugees. This book is useful in understanding not only these specific issues and the cities that have acted on them, but the general phenomenon of nonstate activism that has emerged and the direction of this activism in the 1990s and beyond. This unique volume examines the subject matter from both a descriptive and quantitative perspective. The comprehensive way in which the topic is addressed will be of interest to academics, activists, and government practitioners as well as students of urban politics, local government, foreign policy, and international relations. "Heidi H. Hobbs is to be commended for producing a book that should be required reading for any student of foreign policy making--by central and noncentral governments--and that advances the analysis of the global activities of American municipal governments. --Canadian Journal of Urban Research

This book shows that Hong Kong's protests from June to December 2019 originated from not only an attempt to extradite a Hong Kong man involved in a Taiwan murder case, but also China's effort at extraditing corrupt mainlanders who laundered dirty money in the territory. The mixture of peaceful and violent protests was due to the snowballing effect of protestors-police confrontations, the imbalanced way in which police exercised their power, and protestors' strategies. The protests triggered the national security concerns of Beijing, which mobilized the People's Armed Police to Shenzhen as a warning rather than sending them openly to Hong Kong to avoid undermining the image of "one country, two systems." The entire debate raised the concerns of Washington, Taiwan, and foreign governments, heightening Beijing's sensitivity. After the bill was withdrawn, the anti-extradition movement has become anti-police and anti-mainland, constantly challenging the legitimacy of the Hong Kong government and Beijing. This is a valuable read for China watchers, political scientists and all those interested in the future of East Asia.

These volumes provide an essential comprehensive work of reference for the annual municipal elections that took place each November in the 83 County Boroughs of England and Wales between 1919 and 1938. They also provide an extensive and detailed analysis of municipal politics in the same period, both in terms of the individual boroughs and of aggregate patterns of political behaviour. Being annual, these local election results give the clearest and most authoritative record of how political opinion changed between general elections, especially useful for research into the longer gaps such as 1924-29 and 1935-45, or crisis periods such as 1929-31. They also illuminate the impact of fringe parties such as the Communist Party and the British Union of Fascists, and also such questions as the role of women in politics, the significance of religious and ethnic differentiation and the connection between occupational and class divisions and party allegiance. Analysis at the ward level is particularly useful for socio-spatial studies. A major work of reference, County Borough Elections in England and Wales, 1919-1938 is indispensable for university libraries and local and national record offices. Each volume has approximately 700 pages.

This book explores the concept of multi-species relationships and suggests critical systemic pathways to protect shared habitats. This book discusses how the eradication of species as a result of rapid urbanisation places humanity at risk. This book demonstrates how narrow anthropocentrism has focused on the rights of human beings at the expense of other species and the environment. This book explores a priori norms and a posteriori measures and indicators to include and protect multiple species. This book aims to strengthen institutional capacity and powers to address and extend the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda by drawing on local wisdom but also the need to implement laws to prevent ecocide. This book highlights that our fragile interdependence requires a recognition of our hybridity and interconnectedness within the web of life and suggests ways to reframe policy within and beyond the nation state to support living systems of which we are a strand.

African Film Studies is an accessible and engaging introduction to African cinemas, showcasing the diverse cinematic expressions across the continent. Bringing African cinemas out of the margins and into mainstream film studies, the book provides a succinct overview of the history, aesthetics, and theory of sub-Saharan African cinematic productions.

Updated throughout, this new edition includes new chapters on Nollywood, Ethiopian cinema, Streaming, and the rise of televisual series, which serve to complement the book’s main themes:

Overview of African cinema(s): Questions assumptions and defines the characteristics of African cinemas across linguistic, geographic, and filmic divides

History of African cinemas: Spans the history of film in Africa from colonial import and ‘appropriation of the gaze’, the rise of Nollywood and local TV series to streaming, as well as building connections with the development of African American cinema

Aesthetics: Introduces new research on previously under-explored aesthetic dimensions such as cinematography, animation, and film music

Theoretical Approaches: Addresses a number of theoretical approaches and critical frameworks developed by scholars in the study of African cinemas

Traditions and practices in African screen media: Features Ethiopian cinema, Nollywood, Local Televisual Series in Burkina Faso and South Africa, and the Streaming rush for Africa

All chapters include case studies, suggestions for further reading, and screening lists to deepen the reader’s knowledge, with no prior knowledge of African cinemas required. Students, teachers, and general film enthusiasts would all benefit from this accessible and engaging book.

Table of Contents



Introduction Chapter 1: What Is African Cinema? Case Study: Aristotle’s Plot (Jean-Pierre Bekolo, 1996) PART I: HISTORY OF AFRICAN CINEMAS Chapter 2: History of African Cinemas Case Study: Sanders of the River (Zoltan Korda, 1935): Celebration of the British Empire Chapter 3: Parallel Movement: African Cinemas and African American Cinema Case Study: Black Is King (Beyoncé, 2020) PART II: AESTHETICS IN AFRICAN CINEMAS Chapter 4: Cinematography: Space, Time, and Rhythm Case Study: Yaaba (Idrissa Ouédraogo, 1989) Chapter 5: The African Animated Film Case Study: Prince Loseno (Jean-Michel Kibushi Ndajte Wooto, 2004) Chapter 6: Introductory Study of African Film Scores Case Study: Non-diegetic Music: Space and Time Dimensions of Film Music in La Noire de…  (Black Girl) (Ousmane Sembène, 1966) PART III: AFRICAN FILM CRITICISM Chapter 7: Critical Reading Lenses in the Study of African Cinemas Case Study: Atlantics (Mati Diop, 2019): Migration in a Polygeneric Film PART IV: TRADITIONS AND PRACTICES IN AFRICAN SCREEN MEDIA Chapter 8: Ethiopian Cinema. By Steven W. Thomas Case Studies: Haile Gerima’s Teza (2008) and La Borena (Belay Getaneh, 2013) Chapter 9: Nollywood: A Popular and Commercial Cinema Case Study: The Wedding Party (Kemi Adetiba, 2017) Chapter 10: The Rise of Local African TV Serials: The Case of Burkina Faso and South Africa Course Proposal: African Televisual Seriality PART V: NOTES ON STREAMING Chapter 11: The Streaming Rush for Africa Conclusion: Film and New Media Education

This book offers readers a comprehensive introduction to the functions of the government in contemporary China. Further, it creates a framework to describe urban governance in today's China, which consists of four basic modes: the omnipotent government mode, autonomous governance mode, integrated governance mode and cooperative governance mode. The book defines a "city" as a gathering place for high-quality public service resources, and the basic task of urban governance is to provide high-quality public services and maintain the sustainability of fiscal revenues. By focusing on current "hot topics" in urban governance in China, including the institutional development of urban governance, model interpretation, city/county relationship, cross-border governance, cross-sectoral coordination, street management, community service provision, and municipal performance evaluation, it clarifies a number of common misunderstandings in the field of urban management and practice. Lastly, the book analyses the current integrated governance model used in Chinese cities, which relies on the authority of the government and integrates the market and social subjects across borders by means of qualification identification, resource support, elite absorption, party-group embeddedness, and project cooperation. However, this model is currently facing several problems. In order to address the potential risks of integrated governance, the book argues that we need to develop new institutional arrangements based on collaborative governance.

This is a coherent and integrated set of essays around the theme of governance addressing a wide range of questions on the organisation and legitimation of authority. At the heart of the book is a set of topics which have long attracted the attention of urbanists and urban historians all over the world: the growth and reform of urban local government, local-centre relationships, public health and pollution, local government finance, the nature of local social elites and of participation in local government. Approaching these topics through the concept of governance not only raises a series of new questions but also extends the scope of enquiry for the historian seeking to understand towns and cities all over the world in a period of rapid change. Questions of governance must be central to a variety of enquiries into the nature of the urban place. There are questions about the setting of agendas, about when a localised or neighbourhood issue becomes a big city or even national political issue, about what makes a 'problem'. Public health and related matters form a central part of the 'issues' especially for the British; in North America fire and the development of urban real estate have dominated; in India the security of the colonial government had a prominent place. The historical dynamic of these essays follows the change from the chartered governments of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries towards the representative regimes of the nineteenth and twentieth. However, such historical change is not regarded as inevitable, and the effects of bureaucratic growth, regulatory regimes, the legitimating role of rational and scientific knowledge as well as the innovatory use of ritual and space are all dealt with at length.

This book focuses on the practice and experience of urban delicacy governance in Xuhui District, Shanghai. As we know, urbanization is the inevitable course for agricultural civilization to move towards industrial civilization. Over the past forty years, the urbanization of China has developed rapidly and has become an important push for economic development and social progress. At the same time, the rapid expansion of city scale, the shortage of public services, environmental pollution, traffic congestion, housing tension, as well as other urban pain points have emerged, and these have brought about serious challenges to urban governance. Delicacy management is the concentrated expression of modern scientific management theory and the inherent requirement to realize the modernization of national governance systems and governance capability. From delicacy management to delicacy governance, urban governance needs the transformation of logic. Shanghai has been identified as the only super city in the Yangtze River Delta and East China. It is of great significance to understand the theory and practice of urban governance in Shanghai. Meanwhile, Xuhui District is one of the seven central urban areas in Shanghai with a profound historical background, important institutions, advanced science and education.

Today, cities are being intensively reshaped by unexpected dynamics. The rise and growth of the digital economy have fundamentally changed the relationship between the urban fabric and its resident community, overcoming the conventional hierarchy based on production priorities. Moreover, contemporary society discovers new labour conditions and ways of satisfying needs and desires by developing new synergies and links. This book examines cultural and urban commons from a multidisciplinary perspective. Economists, architects, urban planners, sociologists, designers, political scientists, and artists explore the impact and implications of cultural commons on urban change. The contributions discuss both cases of successful urban participation and cases of strong social conflict, while also addressing a host of institutional contradictions and dilemmas. The first part of the book examines urban commons in response to institutional constraints from a theoretical point of view. The second and third parts apply the theories to case studies and discuss various practices of sustainable planning and re-appropriation in the urban context. In closing, the fourth part develops a new urban agenda as artists imagine it. This book will appeal to scholars interested in the social, economic and institutional implications of cultural and urban commons, and provide useful insights and tools to help local governments and policymakers manage social, cultural and economic change.

This book reviews and analyzes the innovative measures introduced, lessons learned and problems encountered by selected and representative provinces, cities and counties with regard to the openness of local government affairs. To do so, it focuses on fields that are closely related to economic and social development and to the vital interests of the people, and which have thus aroused great social concerns, such as the pre-disclosure of major decision-making, policy interpretation, optimization of the business environment, and education. In turn, the book addresses standardization concerning the openness of government affairs; in this regard, numerous departments under the State Council and local governments at various levels have already engaged in pilot work, so as to provide a basis for pursuing the openness of government affairs throughout the country. The book subsequently analyzes current problems in this regard, considers the future prospects, and puts forward suitable solutions.

In our "devolutionary" era, politics at the state and local levels is more interesting than ever. This popular text is the most concise, readable, and current introduction to the field. Now in its ninth edition, the book keeps its focus on the varied and changing political and economic environments in which state and local governments function and their strengths and weaknesses in key areas of public policy.

The text is enlivened throughout by boxed sections that relate individual experiences or highlight particular issues and interesting developments. Topics covered in this edition include changing patterns of devolution and centralization in American federalism; taxation and budgeting; new approaches to welfare, education, land use, and waste management; and such "hot" issues as tort reform and the death penalty.

These volumes provide an essential comprehensive work of reference for the annual municipal elections that took place each November in the 83 County Boroughs of England and Wales between 1919 and 1938. They also provide an extensive and detailed analysis of municipal politics in the same period, both in terms of the individual boroughs and of aggregate patterns of political behaviour. Being annual, these local election results give the clearest and most authoritative record of how political opinion changed between general elections, especially useful for research into the longer gaps such as 1924-29 and 1935-45, or crisis periods such as 1929-31. They also illuminate the impact of fringe parties such as the Communist Party and the British Union of Fascists, and also such questions as the role of women in politics, the significance of religious and ethnic differentiation and the connection between occupational and class divisions and party allegiance. Analysis at the ward level is particularly useful for socio-spatial studies. A major work of reference, County Borough Elections in England and Wales, 1919-1938 is indispensable for university libraries and local and national record offices. Each volume has approximately 700 pages.

In The Contemporary Pennsylvania Legislature, John J. Kennedy explores a variety of topics that are relevant for any small lawmaking institution. He investigates to what degree current social and technological changes have affected the Pennsylvania legislature and how it has been transformed from a part-time lawmaking body to a full-time professional institution. The data for Kennedy's study comes from a survey of legislators who served in the 1993-1994 Pennsylvania Assembly as well as candidates who ran for office but were defeated. Noting that political parties are on the decline in the U.S., Kennedy examines whether lawmakers are more inclined to follow their own interests, their parties', or those of their constituents when voting on particular issues. In addition to discussing the philosophical dispositions of legislators, he also examines the electoral experiences of defeated candidates. Kennedy's study is an important resource for those interested in American government, the legislative process, or political science.

Centered on the urban workplace, the danwei (workunit) has been the fundamental social and spatial unit of urban China under socialism. Not only was it the source of employment, wages, and other material benefits for the vast majority of urban residents, it was also the institution through which the urban population was housed, organized, regulated, policed, educated, trained, protected, and surveyed. Furthermore, as the basic unit of urban society, each danwei became a community, providing its members with identity, a "face," and social belonging. With particular focus on the link between spatial forms and social organization, this book traces the origins and development of this critical institution up to the present day. Recent economic restructuring has seen the danwei lose its dominant role, yet its presence still influences the possibilities for urban transformation. Moreover, the author argues, the new institutions emerging in its place display important characteristics of the old danwei system.

This volume shows how social diversification during the economic boom has modified political norms and public practices -- contrary to the nostalgic hopes of many establishment conservatives. White maintains that while political reforms have emerged partly from the local resources created by economic boom (as detailed in the companion volume), these reforms have equally come from new norms among individuals and small groups. In comparing China's current situation to that of other countries and their revolutions, it is clear that China's reforms have followed a similar pattern; as the revolution's wave crests, the tide predictably changes and symbolic and police centralization ebb as local governance rises. The rapid modernization of China has necessitated development of new methods of maintaining coercive order at the local level, while the state political institutions grapple with new methods for selecting new leaders and adopting new laws.

This volume describes African cities in transition, and the economic, socio-political, and environmental challenges resulting from rapid post-colonial urbanization. As the African continent continues to transition from urban configurations inherited from colonial influences and history, it faces issues such as urban slum expansion, increased demands for energy and clean water, lack of adequate public transportation, high levels of inequality among different socio-economic population strata, and inadequate urban governance, planning, and policies. African cities in transition need to reconsider current policies and developmental trajectories to facilitate and sustain economic growth and Africa's strategic repositioning in the world. Written by an international team of scholars and practitioners, this volume uses case studies to focus on key issues and developmental challenges in selected African cities. Topics include but are not limited to, smart cities, changing notions of democracy, the city's role in attaining the SDGs, local governance, alternative models for governance and management, corruption, urbanisation and future cities.

This volume shows how social diversification during the economic boom has modified political norms and public practices -- contrary to the nostalgic hopes of many establishment conservatives. White maintains that while political reforms have emerged partly from the local resources created by economic boom (as detailed in the companion volume), these reforms have equally come from new norms among individuals and small groups. In comparing China's current situation to that of other countries and their revolutions, it is clear that China's reforms have followed a similar pattern; as the revolution's wave crests, the tide predictably changes and symbolic and police centralization ebb as local governance rises. The rapid modernization of China has necessitated development of new methods of maintaining coercive order at the local level, while the state political institutions grapple with new methods for selecting new leaders and adopting new laws.

This accessible book is about local democracy, civic engagement, political participation and community in Britain. It rejects the many pessimistic accounts that seek to dominate our political discourse with their talk of political apathy, community breakdown and selfish individualism The book focuses on local democratic politics in Britain over the last decade and a half, from the election of the New Labour government right up to the current Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition government. It includes an analysis of local democracy, civic engagement and participation across a range of policy areas and in the context of debates around accountability, legitimacy, sustainability, localism and the 'big society'. -- .

Democratic government is about making choices. Sometimes those choices involve the distribution of benefits. At other times they involve the imposition of some type of loss -- a program cut, increased taxes, or new regulatory standards. Citizens will resist such impositions if they can, or will try to punish governments at election time. The dynamics of loss imposition are therefore a universal -- if unpleasant -- element of democratic governance. "The Government Taketh Away" examines the repercussions of unpopular government decisions in Canada and the United States, the two great democratic nations of North America.

Pal, Weaver, and their contributors compare the capacities of the U.S. presidential system and the Canadian Westminster system to impose different types of losses: symbolic losses (gun control and abortion), geographically concentrated losses (military base closings and nuclear waste disposal), geographically dispersed losses (cuts to pensions and to health care), and losses imposed on business (telecommunications deregulation and tobacco control). Theory holds that Westminster-style systems should, all things being equal, have a comparative advantage in loss imposition because they concentrate power and authority, though this can make it easier to pin blame on politicians too. The empirical findings of the cases in this book paint a more complex picture. Westminster systems do appear to have some robust abilities to impose losses, and US institutions provide more opportunities for loss-avoiders to resist government policy in some sectors. But in most sectors, outcomes in the two countries are strikingly similar.

"The Government Taketh Away" is essential for the scholar and students of public policy or comparative policy. It is also an important book for the average citizen who wants to know more about the complexities of living in a democratic society where the government can give-but how it can also, sometimes painfully, "taketh away."

An original work on American cities and the ongoing "urban crisis". Using the metaphor of the socially constructed organization of space, Bartlett takes a broad view of the evolution of urban America, from its historical roots to the present; he then examines the way in which current policies have responded to, and affected the organization of space (covering housing, transportation, government and other urban problems). He concludes with a look to the future of American cities, how they will impact and be impacted on by changing commercial and labor markets, by the problems of poverty and cultural change. In an epilogue, he explores possible ways to overcome the "social dilemmas", while recognizing the difficulty of this undertaking. A thoroughly unique perspective to the study of cities, this book is about how space is used in America and how it changes as the "logic of location" evolves historically. Starting with the assumption that cities are fundamentally unnatural" phenomena, it unravels the interactions of technological advances that have made them possible and policies that have given them shape.

Interest in the governance of London has remained high in the years following the election of a London mayor and all the twists and turns of Mayor Livingstone's term of office, including struggles with Whitehall and the boroughs. Written a leading authority, Governing London provides a definitive critique of the politics, administration and government of one of the world's leading cities and recommends major changes to the capital's government to address its longstanding crisis of governability.

First Published in 1997. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.