The city is the principal site through which globalisation occurs. This is reflected in the various social, economic, and political changes that have not only added emphasis to dynamics of cities, but have also multiplied the contradictions and tensions underlying urban development. These eight volumes - available as one set or as two four volume sets (Set One - Urban Studies - Economy / Set Two Urban Studies Society) - are edited by Ronan Paddison, Editor of Urban Studies, the key journal in the discipline. Each volume is in turn edited by an acknowledged specialist. Together the eight volumes will provide researchers with answers to the following questions: " How do we theorize the city " Why do cities exist? " How do we begin to understand the processes underlying the structure and dynamism of cities? " How can state intervention influence such processes positively? " How are cities governed? " How should we cope intellectually with the uniqueness and variability of cities?