"It's like the story of Little Town," an influential actor says in
"Rationality and Power" when choosing a metaphor to describe how he
manipulated rationality to gain power, "The bell ringer . . . has
to set the church clock. So he calls the telephone exchange and
asks what time it is, and the telephone operator looks out the
window towards the church clock and says, 'It's five o'clock.'
'Good, ' says the bell ringer, 'then my clock is correct.'"
In the Enlightenment tradition, rationality is considered
well-defined, independent of context; we know what rationality is,
and its meaning is constant across time and space. Bent Flyvbjerg
shows that rationality is context-dependent and that the crucial
context is determined by decision-makers' power. Power blurs the
dividing line between rationality and rationalization. The result
is a rationality that is often as imaginary as the time in Little
Town, yet with very real social and environmental consequences.
Flyvbjerg takes us behind the scenes to uncover the real
politics--and real rationality--of policy-making, administration,
and planning in an internationally acclaimed project for
environmental improvement, auto traffic reduction, land use, and
urban renewal. The action takes place in the Danish city of
Aalborg, but it could be anywhere. Aalborg is to Flyvbjerg what
Florence was to Machiavelli: a laboratory for understanding power
and what it means for our more general concerns of social and
political organization. Policy-making, administration, and planning
are examined in ways that allow a rare, in-depth understanding. The
reader is a firsthand witness to the classic, endless drama that
defines what democracy and modernity are, and what they can be.
The result is a fascinating narrative that is both concrete and
general, current and timeless. Drawing on the ideas of Machiavelli,
Nietzsche, Foucault, and Habermas, Flyvbjerg reads the Aalborg case
as a metaphor of modernity and of modern politics, administration,
and planning. Flyvbjerg uncovers the interplay of power and
rationality that distorts policy deliberation. He demonstrates that
modern "rationality" is but an ideal when confronted with the real
rationalities involved in decision making by central actors in
government, economy, and civil society. Flyvbjerg then elaborates
on how this problem can be dealt with so that more fruitful
deliberation and action can occur.
If the new millennium marks a recurrence of the real, Flyvbjerg's
"Rationality and Power" epitomizes this development, setting new
standards for social and political inquiry. Richly informed,
powerfully argued, and clearly written, this is a book that no one
trying to understand policy-making, administration, and planning
can afford to overlook.
"Flyvbjerg employs a wide-ranging intellect, an enthusiastic and
persuasive voice, academic rigor, and great discipline to distill
years of research into an outstanding and accessible 250-page
civics lesson. It begs for a readership outside academic and
professional circles . . . "Rationality and Power"'s value is
undeniable as a handbook and forensic tool for anyone seeking a
better understanding of and access to the democratic
process."--"Arkansas Democrat-Gazette"
"It makes an extremely strong, and to the reviewer's mind
incontrovertible, argument for placing the analysis of planning
within the context of power relations. As aresult it will also make
a significant mark on the development of planning
theory."--"Geographical Journal"
"A book that is to be recommended doubly, first to all those
engaged in planning and implementation in a democratic context, and
also to all those interested in empirical power research.
"Rationality and Power" is rewarding even enthralling reading, a
seminal contribution to its field."--"European Societies"
"This book is a must for anyone interested in how planning works .
. . a reality shock . . . excellent and
illuminating."--"International Planning Studies"
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