The study of urban politics in the US is now dominated by issues of local economic development. These are situated analytically with respect to a more global space economy. This is the New Urban Politics. The central logic of the New Urban Politics is one of cities or communities competing for...

A common view of the developmental prospects of sub-Saharan Africa is that the crucial obstacle is political. Stronger states and representative institutions are a necessary precondition for development. This is a common view in both the media and in academe. The paper argues that this is to get...