Three decades of accelerated trade and financial market liberalization have had significant and lasting impacts on the global economy and its component entities. In this volume, Peter Karl Kresl and Earl Fry examine the impacts of these profound changes on the economies of urban areas, and the responses to them. They provide a comprehensive treatment of the issues surrounding internationalization, such as urban transport, communication, and production. In addition, the authors explore the effects of internationalization on municipal foreign affairs, urban governance, inter-city relations and structures, and strategic planning. As nation states have diminished their intervention in local economies, cities have been forced to implement new forms of governance, cooperative inter-city relationships, and city diplomacy. These aspects of globalization have presented urban economies with challenges and threats to existing activities as well as potentially positive opportunities for development of higher value-added, higher-skilled activities. Forced to take a new look at their international competitiveness, many city leaders have launched strategic planning initiatives. Through these they hope to facilitate development of activities that will improve the economic lives of residents and enable their city to maintain or advance its competitiveness and its position in the urban hierarchy. This unique study will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of economics, urban studies, and public policy, as well as to those in city administrative and leadership positions.

The American people generally perceive that the United States is headed in "the wrong direction," US influence worldwide is waning, Capitol Hill is not adequately representing the public's interests, and their personal economic wellbeing is in jeopardy. This book squarely tackles the list of "fault lines" currently facing the United States, including, among others, Beltway dysfunctionalism, concentrated wealth and income not seen since the late 1920s, an ultra-expensive and inefficient health-care system, runaway entitlement spending, stagnant upward mobility, debilitating "crony capitalism," and incoherent foreign policy. Even more importantly, the book offers explicit policy recommendations for solving each fault line, relying extensively on "best practices" in the public and private sectors both at home and abroad. Moreover, the author emphasizes that the United States is entering a special period which provides it with advantages not found anywhere else in the world-a major energy boom, favorable demographics, unparalleled high-technology innovation, huge inward investment flows from abroad, the revival of its manufacturing sector, and its magnetism in attracting to its shores the very best and brightest from around the world. Dr. Fry asserts that it is quite reasonable to assume that the United States will enter a "Renaissance America" period by 2030. Doing so, however, will require painful short-term sacrifices, major policy changes, and the restoration of vibrant representative government. In effect, the American people must overwhelmingly embrace Abraham Lincoln's vision of governance "of the people, by the people, and for the people."

The American people generally perceive that the United States is headed in "the wrong direction," US influence worldwide is waning, Capitol Hill is not adequately representing the public's interests, and their personal economic wellbeing is in jeopardy. This book squarely tackles the list of "fault lines" currently facing the United States, including, among others, Beltway dysfunctionalism, concentrated wealth and income not seen since the late 1920s, an ultra-expensive and inefficient health-care system, runaway entitlement spending, stagnant upward mobility, debilitating "crony capitalism," and incoherent foreign policy. Even more importantly, the book offers explicit policy recommendations for solving each fault line, relying extensively on "best practices" in the public and private sectors both at home and abroad. Moreover, the author emphasizes that the United States is entering a special period which provides it with advantages not found anywhere else in the world-a major energy boom, favorable demographics, unparalleled high-technology innovation, huge inward investment flows from abroad, the revival of its manufacturing sector, and its magnetism in attracting to its shores the very best and brightest from around the world. Dr. Fry asserts that it is quite reasonable to assume that the United States will enter a "Renaissance America" period by 2030. Doing so, however, will require painful short-term sacrifices, major policy changes, and the restoration of vibrant representative government. In effect, the American people must overwhelmingly embrace Abraham Lincoln's vision of governance "of the people, by the people, and for the people."