Urban Power

Democracy and Inequality in São Paulo and Johannesburg

Benjamin H. Bradlow

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Hardback

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English

Princeton University Press
29 January 2025

Urban communities; Sociology; Political science & theory; Comparative politics; Political structures: democracy

Series: Princeton Studies in Global and Comparative Sociology

Why some cities are more effective than others at reducing inequalities in the built environment

For the first time in history, most people live in cities. One in seven are living in slums, the most excluded parts of cities, in which the basics of urban life-including adequate housing, accessible sanitation, and reliable transportation-are largely unavailable. Why are some cities more successful than others in reducing inequalities in the built environment? In Urban Power, Benjamin Bradlow explores this question, examining the effectiveness of urban governance in two ""megacities"" in young democracies: So Paulo, Brazil, and Johannesburg, South Africa. Both cities came out of periods of authoritarian rule with similarly high inequalities and similar policy priorities to lower them. And yet So Paulo has been far more successful than Johannesburg in improving access to basic urban goods.

Bradlow examines the relationships between local government bureaucracies and urban social movements that have shaped these outcomes. Drawing on sixteen months of fieldwork in both cities, including interviews with informants from government agencies, political leadership, social movements, private developers, bus companies, and water and sanitation companies, Bradlow details the political and professional conflicts between and within movements, governments, private corporations, and political parties. He proposes a bold theoretical approach for a new global urban sociology that focuses on variations in the coordination of local governing power, arguing that the concepts of ""embeddedness"" and ""cohesion"" explain processes of change that bridge external social mobilization and the internal coordinating capacity of local government to implement policy changes.

By: Benjamin H. Bradlow
Imprint: Princeton University Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9780691237114
ISBN 10: 0691237115
Series: Princeton Studies in Global and Comparative Sociology
Pages: 256
Publication Date: 29 January 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Primary , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Benjamin H. Bradlow is assistant professor of sociology and international affairs at Princeton University.