Suchergebnisse

Gender aspects of changes in local political economies & their implications for the future development of metropolitan areas are surveyed. These changes are broadly characterized as a movement from a Fordist to a post-Fordist system of economic relations, & the introduction of greater numbers of women into the paid workplace. Regional variations in this general trend are investigated in the context of a comparative examination of the Boston, MA, & Pittsburgh, PA, metropolitan areas. It is noted that as women have gained a higher presence in the economy, they have also assumed larger roles in local decision-making processes. 2 Tables, 58 References. D. M. Smith

A review essay on books by: Edward Soja, Postmodern Geographies (London & New York: Verso, 1989); & David Harvey, The Condition of Postmodernity (Cambridge, Mass: Basil Blackwell, 1989 [see listings in IRPS No. 65]). A significant contribution to postmodern geography, Soja's book suggests that the new challenge for analysis & political action is to critically assess the contemporary lived experience as it is affected by the fragmentation of space & time. Soja refers to this fragmentation as a "time-space convergence," which produces a fragmented & superficial experience of culture & serves to mystify the underlying process of capital accumulation. A useful review of how philosophy, social theory, economic geography, political economy, & postmodern theory have come to acknowledge the importance of space, Postmodern Geographies presents a materialist reading of space as a facilitator of postmodern social interaction. Harvey's book focuses on the contribution of postmodern analysis to political theory, providing an analysis of both current economic processes & the cultural aesthetics of modernism & postmodernism. Both books integrate cultural analysis into political-economic analysis, providing many insights into current issues, eg, homelessness, gentrification, & urban disaffection. W. Howard

The long-term impact of public-private partnerships as a governing structure has not been adequately explored. In Pittsburgh, neighborhood groups have struggled to participate in the partnership's revitalization agenda. Their participation often is recognized as necessary for legitimation purposes, but they are often excluded from influencing economic development policy. Theories of incorporation and corporatism provide some insight into the possibilities and limits of including neighborhood interests in partnerships. A dynamic of consent best explains why neighborhood interests are often in contradiction with partnership agendas and why there are inherent limits to legitimacy in partnership structures.

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted access to local family care services and jobs ecologies in both regional formal and informal economies. This case study of the regional economy in Michigan, USA, based on 34 in-depth interviews, explored how families struggled and adapted to find jobs and household services because of pandemic disruption. To understand the impact on families, the paper develops a multi-level ecological framework using three concepts (1) the regional care services ecology; (2) local social networks and institutions where families acquire knowledge and services; and (3) family and work-life balance. Access to social and financial capital in both the formal and informal sectors were crucial to enable families to cope but social positions such as race, type of employment, migration status, and marital status mitigated access to resources. An interdisciplinary approach captures the multi-level experiences and resilience of families, as COVID disrupted community institutions, social networks, and work.