Description: this book seeks to uncover the linkages between business leaders (motivated by profit) and political decision makers (motivated by electoral gain) by examining the responses of public officials in three Michigan "auto cities"--Detroit, Flint, and Pontiac--to plant-location choices made by General Motors and Chrysler. Throughout, the authors focus on three issues--the relationship between the local industrial economy and the local political system, the structure of urban politics, and the degree of independence of political decision makers in urban affairs.
Review Quotes:
"An excellent case analysis of urban political economy. . . interesting, sophisticated, well written. It is sure to be widely discussed."--Clarence N. Stone, author of Urban Policy and Politics in a Bureaucratic Age and Economic Growth and Neighborhood Discontent
"This new version makes significant new contributions to both the urban politics and public policy literatures, and indeed marries them in an utterly unique way. The concept of solution sets is brilliant, and I assume that it will be much discussed and utilized in the urban literature."--Dennis Judd, author of The Politics of American Cities: Private Power and Public Policy