ABSTRACT
Any observer of local politics will not only be impressed by the lively scene that city politics often offers, but also very soon notice the dominance of groups, organizations and associations in the policy process. Thus, in the preface to his City: Urbanism and its End, political scientist Douglas Rae reveals one of the very fundamental insights he obtained from temporarily exchanging academia for a position in the city government of New Haven:
The irresistible fact, which came into focus very slowly for me, was that city government is itself a very weak player in a larger system of power. The problems faced by city officials have to do with making the most of the city’s small (and fragile) power base in dealing with players as varied as airline schedulers, streetcorner entrepreneurs, union leaders, neighborhood potentates, racial spokesmen, bond rating agencies, bankers, public housing tenant leaders, criminal gangs, real estate developers, insurance underwriters, and government agencies at state and federal levels.
