Can Regionalism Save Poor Cities? Politics, Institutions, and Interests in Glasgow
Author(s)
Kantor, Paul
Abstract
Regional governmental intervention is frequently advocated as a solution to the problems of poor cities. The regional reform model is examined in light of Glasgow’s experience. It suggests that this approach became a trap for Glasgow and contributed to the city’s spiral of decline. The findings indicate that the reform model is seriously flawed by economic determinism and ignores regional political dynamics. In particular, it conflates abstract notions of regional economic interdependence with policy prescriptions to aid cities, and it neglects powerful institutional political pressures that bias regional officials against equity considerations that might favor central cities. These forces are not likely to be peculiar only to Glasgow.
