In this book, Sean Safford compares the recent history of
Allentown, Pennsylvania, with that of Youngstown, Ohio. Allentown
has seen a noticeable rebound over the course of the past twenty
years. Facing a collapse of its steel-making firms, its economy has
reinvented itself by transforming existing companies, building an
entrepreneurial sector, and attracting inward investment.
Youngstown was similar to Allentown in its industrial history, the
composition of its labor force, and other important variables, and
yet instead of adapting in the face of acute economic crisis, it
fell into a mean race to the bottom.
Challenging various theoretical perspectives on regional
socioeconomic change, "Why the Garden Club Couldn't Save
Youngstown" argues that the structure of social networks among the
cities' economic, political, and civic leaders account for the
divergent trajectories of post-industrial regions. It offers a
probing historical explanation for the decline, fall, and unlikely
rejuvenation of the Rust Belt. Emphasizing the power of social
networks to shape action, determine access to and control over
information and resources, define the contexts in which problems
are viewed, and enable collective action in the face of externally
generated crises, this book points toward present-day policy
prescriptions for the ongoing plight of mature industrial regions
in the U.S. and abroad.
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