Karen Mossberger

THE EVOLUTION OF URBAN REGIME THEORY The Challenge of Conceptualization

Urban regime theory came to prominence with the publication of Clarence Stone’s study of Atlanta in 1989, although earlier work by Fainstein and Fainstein (1983) and Elkin (1987) has also been influential. Since then, regime analysis has been extensively used to examine urban politics both inside North America and beyond. The authors argue that the wide use of regime analysis is a recognition of its value and insights but that some applications have stretched the concept beyond its original meaning to the point that the concept itself runs the risk of becoming meaningless and a source of theoretical confusion. By sifting through the extensive literature applying regime theory, the authors reestablish the core components of the concept and identify the key fields where it has made a contribution. It is suggested that regime analysis has helped considerably in reorienting the power debate in North America and in facilitating the analysis of politics beyond the formal institutions of the government outside North America.

Connecting citizens and local governments? Social media and interactivity in major U.S. cities☆

Abstract Changing the relationship between citizens and government is often cited as a goal for digital government, and new tools such as social media have the potential to improve interactions with citizens through dialogue. Citizens are most likely to participate at the local level (Berry, Portney and Thomson, 1993; Oates, 1972; Oakerson, 1999), and the largest cities have traditionally been at the forefront in the adoption of e-government innovations (Moon, 2002; Ho, 2002). We examine the use of social networks and other interactive tools in the 75 largest U.S. cities between 2009 and 2011. During this period, the adoption of Facebook skyrocketed from just 13% of the cities in 2009 to nearly 87% in 2011; similarly, the use of Twitter increased from 25% to 87%. We further explore three case study cities through analysis of discussion on social networks, and interviews, and find that one-way “push” strategies (Mergel, 2013a) predominate, although there are some signs of greater openness toward dialogue with citizens.

Innovating in Digital Government in the American States

The purpose of this research is to examine why some states have embraced digital government more extensively than others. Copyright (c) 2003 by the Southwestern Social Science Association.

Race, Place, and Information Technology

Technology inequalities based on race and ethnicity present a paradox. African-Americans and Latinos have lower rates of access and skill, even controlling for socioeconomic factors. Yet African-Americans, and to a lesser extent, Latinos, also have more positive attitudes toward information technology than similarly situated whites. Because attitudes cannot explain lower rates of access and skill, we hypothesize that racial segregation and concentrated poverty have restricted opportunities to learn about and use technology. Using hierarchical linear modeling and multilevel data to control for both community-level socioeconomic and demographic characteristics and individual-level factors, we find that disparities among African-Americans are due to place effects rather than race. Ethnicity still exercises an independent influence for Latinos. These findings contribute to our understanding of the “digital divide,” and to research on the effects of concentrated poverty.

Building Blocks for a Methodology for Comparative Urban Political Research

Comparative urban political research offers scholars the opportunity to develop theory and to compare practice, yet there is a need for more conscious attention to the comparative method and the special opportunities and challenges involved in its application to local political phenomena. This article examines and makes recommendations on issues that are particularly relevant to cross-national research in urban politics and policy, including dealing with multiple levels of analysis, improving research design, and improving conceptualization.

Unraveling Different Barriers to Internet Use: Urban Residents and Neighborhood Effects

While current federal programs for broadband have invested heavily in rural infrastructure, significant disparities in Internet use remain in urban areas, where broadband networks are available. The success of the national broadband plan and federal policy require understanding barriers to Internet adoption, including persistent inequalities in urban areas. Analysis of a random sample telephone survey in the city of Chicago merged with census tract–level data finds that neighborhood-level factors such as segregation and concentrated poverty influence the reasons why residents do not have home Internet access, as well as individual-level factors. Interactions demonstrate differential effects of age across racial and ethnic groups, and the amplification of disparities in access in segregated neighborhoods, especially for Latinos in gateway immigrant neighborhoods. Place effects need to be taken into account in further research and theory on technology inequality, and in public policy as well.

GOING ONLINE WITHOUT EASY ACCESS: A TALE OF THREE CITIES

ABSTRACT: Building on a national study that showed that concentrated poverty matters for the “digital divide,” this research compares the influence of the neighborhood-level context in three cities that vary in racial composition and income. We use a 2005 random digit-dialed survey of respondents in Northeast Ohio communities, and find unexpectedly that residents in areas of concentrated poverty demonstrate efforts to go online despite lacking home or work access. We analyze the results using regression models that include contextual “buffers” that create a unique geography for each respondent within a half-kilometer radius. Respondents who live in areas with a high percentage of African Americans or college graduates are more likely to go online even if they lack convenient Internet access, although the percentage of college graduates has a greater effect. At the neighborhood level, race and education influence the context for technology use.

“Polydiffusion” in Intergovernmental Programs: Information Diffusion in the School-to-Work Network

Traditional notions of “point source diffusion” fail to describe the multiple channels of information that states have regarding a federally promoted innovation and the mobilization of groups into intergovernmental, intersectoral information networks. This article tests the concept of “polydiffusion” in school-to-work programs, exploring participation and information in the network, state variation in information search, the role of the Internet, and implications for policy learning in the federal system.

Prospects for Poor Neighborhoods in the Broadband Era

This research explores the role of place in Internet use at work, investigating the role that neighborhood context may play in opportunities to gain technology skills and access to relatively better paying jobs. Examining both individual and neighborhood attributes, the authors carry out a comprehensive survey of individuals within three distinct cities in Northeast Ohio combined with a methodology that allows generation of location-specific contextual information. Together, these data are modeled in a series of logistic regressions that compare the importance of both individual and contextual attributes. The findings demonstrate that individual characteristics, especially job type, education, and income, are strongly related to workplace Internet use and that neighborhood unemployment is associated with lower probabilities of technology use at work.

The digital reality: e-government and access to technology and internet for American Indian and Alaska Native populations

Information and communications technologies are powerful resources and tools for tribal governments to engage with their constituents, deliver services, conduct efficient and transparent administration, interact with other governments, and carry out policies. Digital government may in many ways be even more critical for tribes than for many other governments. As sovereign nations, tribal governments are engaged in complex relationships with other governments: local, state and federal governments. They are frequently in geographically isolated locations, with often-dispersed populations. The capacity to bridge distance can convey benefits for service delivery and civic engagement, and can connect communities with resources for health, economic development, and education. In this paper, we review research on Native American technology use and the limitations of available data. Because of the contrast between residents of urban areas and tribal lands, we examine differences in cell phone, computer and Internet use for metropolitan and nonmetropolitan Native populations, by education and income. We propose a research agenda utilizing this data, to support action to remedy disparities and to harness the potential of technology for tribal governments.