If Mayors Ruled the World: Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities

Barber, Benjamin R.

ISBN 10 : 0300209320 ISBN 13 : 9780300209327

Editeur : Yale University Press, 2014

Synopsis

In the face of the most perilous challenges of our time - climate change, terrorism, poverty, and trafficking of drugs, guns and people - the nations of the world seem paralyzed. The problems are too big, too interdependent, too divisive for the nation-state. Is the nation-state, once democracy's best hope, today democratically dysfunctional? Obsolete? The answer, says Benjamin Barber in this highly provocative and original book, is yes. Cities and the mayors who run them can do and are doing a better job. Barber cites the unique qualities cities worldwide share: pragmatism, civic trust, participation, indifference to borders and sovereignty, and a democratic penchant for networking, creativity, innovation and cooperation. He demonstrates how city mayors, singly and jointly, are responding to transnational problems more effectively than nation-states mired in ideological infighting and sovereign rivalries. Featuring profiles of a dozen mayors around the world - courageous, eccentric, or both at once - If Mayors Ruled the World presents a compelling new vision of governance for the coming century. Barber makes a persuasive case that the city is democracy's best hope in a globalizing world, and great mayors are already proving that this is so.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse :

'Political theorist Benjamin Barber's latest book is more than just theory. Networked governance by the world's cities is actually happening, and "If Mayors Ruled the World" is the book of the movement. Once again, Barber is ahead of the curve.' --Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper

'Mayors around the world tend to be pragmatists and problem-solvers, not partisans. They get things done, often after national governments fall short. Benjamin Barber provides a provocative look at how cities can and do lead from the front in addressing the most pressing issues of our time.' --Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City

Biographie de l'auteur :

Benjamin R. Barber is senior research scholar at the Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society, the Graduate Center, the City University of New York. He is also president and founder of the Interdependence Movement and the author of seventeen books, including Jihad vs. McWorld and Strong Democracy. He lives in New York City.

À propos de cette édition

• Éditeur: Yale University Press
• Date d'édition: 2014
• ISBN 10: 0300209320
• ISBN 13: 9780300209327
• Reliure: Livre broché
• Nombre de pages: 416