Kent E. Portney

Mobilizing Minority Communities Social Capital and Participation in Urban Neighborhoods

The debate over social capital and civil society has focused largely on broad-brush assessments of participation in America and on what various measures of involvement in social and political life indicate about Americans. This study moves beyond general interpretations of societal trends to a detailed analysis of minorities in city politics. Drawing on data gathered from a study of participation in large American cities, the authors break participation down by neighborhood and ask what kinds of political organizations are most effective in mobilizing minorities in city politics. This study compares the participation of Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics in neighborhood associations, citywide issue organizations, crime watch groups, and social service/self-help organizations. The data are further analyzed on the basis of the socioeconomic and racial makeup of neighborhoods. The neighborhood associations stand out as the most successful of the four types of organizations for mobilizing African Americans and bringing them into the political process.

Participation and the Pursuit of Sustainability in U.S. Cities

This article explores the relationship between political and civic participation and the pursuit of sustainability in American cities. Some have argued that cities that exhibit more participation, engagement, and bridging social capital are more likely to pursue policies and programs designed to achieve greater sustainability. Others have posited alternative explanations, especially explanations related to resources, socioeconomic status, and economic growth. Using the Social Capital Benchmark Survey cities—10 of which have extensive sustainability programs, 5 of which have modest programs, and 12 of which have virtually no sustainability programs at all—as the source of comparison, this research finds that cities that are most committed to pursuing sustainability policies do tend to be more participatory places with respect to signing petitions, participating in demonstrations, belonging to local reform groups, and joining neighborhood associations, even controlling for personal income and other factors.

Public Involvement in Administration: the Structural Determinants of Effective Citizen Participation

feasible participation,&dquo; the federal government embarked on an ambitious and well intentioned experiment in democracy (Moynihan, 1969). By the late 1970s, the number of laws requiring public participation in administrative policy making had mushroomed to over 225 separate programs (Rosenbaum, 1978a: 84). Long identified with liberal constituencies--the poor, environmentalists, consumers--these programs were immediately placed under attack when the Reagan administration came into office. Throughout the government, citizen participation programs have been cut back by means of budget reductions, deregulation, and weakening of standards (Berry, 1981a).

The local nonprofit sector and the pursuit of sustainability in American cities: a preliminary exploration

This paper reports on the results of a study of the relationship between the nonprofit sector and the pursuit of sustainability in 13 moderate sized US cities with populations between 400,000 and 600,000. Dividing the cities into two groups – those that have been more serious and less serious about adopting and implementing sustainability policies, analysis of a survey of local public officials examines differences in the nonprofit landscape. Analysis shows that the cities that are more serious about sustainability have local public officials who interact more with nonprofit organisations, and are more likely to report the presence of at least one nonprofit group that supports city sustainability policies. Additionally, these reported groups are more likely to be “local”, or homegrown, and to be explicitly dedicated to the environment or sustainability. While far from definitive, the results provide evidence that the nonprofit sector is different in cities with sustainability policies, and suggest that the role of these nonprofit groups in the governance decisions of city leaders warrants more in-depth study.

Civil Society and Sustainable Cities

In the modern American city, who determines environmental policy? Cities have undergone fundamental change in both their economies and populations. In terms of political forces, our expectation is that across a range of cities, where nonprofit environmental groups have been included or incorporated into the local policymaking process, there is greater commitment to environmental protection, and more extensive adoption and implementation of local policies and programs designed to protect the environment. To test this idea, we draw on our own research that combines two original data sets. First, we have collected information on what programs and policies are in place in America’s large cities. Second, for 50 large American cities, we have also surveyed top city administrators. We find that inclusion of environmental groups in city policymaking is strongly linked to city administrators’ perceptions of city commitment to environmental protection. The number of local environmental protection policies and programs also demonstrates a strong relationship to inclusion of environmental groups in city policymaking.

Governing Local Sustainability Agency Venues and Business Group Access

To what extent do local administrators include business interests in their informal bargaining and negotiation on issues involving economic development and environmental and sustainability policies? In the absence of previous studies, we extend political market theory to decisions involving administrative officials by investigating differences across city agencies in the extent they provide business organizations access to the policy development processes. A multilevel analysis is applied to a unique set of survey responses from 413 local government administrators in 50 of the 54 largest U.S. cities. These design and data innovations provide new insights into local administrators’ willingness to grant access to economic development interests. Within individual cities, we account for differences in agency mission and administrators’ personal positions and experiences. Across cities, we account comparatively for variations in government size, demographic characteristics, ideology, and growth patterns.

Awareness of the Food–Energy–Water Nexus and Public Policy Support in the United States: Public Attitudes Among the American People:

Most research into the connections between water and energy, water and food, and food and energy has been scientific and technical; little research has examined the public’s understandings of these connections. This article studies these understandings and awareness of nexus issues using a 2015 national public opinion survey on the water–energy–food nexus. Responses from this representative sample of U.S. adults are used to create “awareness measures” for elements of the nexus—water and energy, water and food, and energy and food—which are then used as independent variables to investigate the extent to which awareness is associated with support for public policies designed to address these nexus interconnections. All three measures are significantly correlated to support for policy options. Results suggest that awareness of the water–energy–food nexus may represent conditions necessary for supporting policies and that building such awareness could represent an important pathway for increasing support for policy interventions.

Urban Advocacy Groups, City Governance, and the Pursuit of Sustainability in American Cities

We ask this question: Why do some cities decide to adopt policies and programs aimed at trying to become more sustainable, while other cities do not? We pursue our inquiry by closely examining surveys we conducted of city councilors and administrators in 50 large American cities. The specific focus is on the interaction between advocacy groups and policymakers. The data utilized draws on questions concerning contact between groups and officials, the attitude of officials toward the reliability of information given to them by groups, and the likelihood of different advocacy group sectors being included in collaborative policy-making. Strong patterns emerged from the data analysis. First, we find low barriers to entry for urban advocacy groups. In stark contrast to Washington politics, it is relatively easy for urban groups to gain access to important policymakers and to meet with them frequently. Second, we find that neighborhood associations demonstrate surprising levels of interaction with policymakers. Despite scant resources, neighborhood associations are clearly part of the policy-making process in urban systems. Third, contact with different group sectors and degree of inclusiveness of those sectors in policy-making is linked to policymakers’ support for environmental protection and for sustainability. When environmental groups and labor unions are included in deliberations on issues of economic development and the environment, there seems to be much greater commitment to local sustainability policies and programs than when these groups are excluded.

The Tea Party versus Agenda 21: local groups and sustainability policies in U.S. cities

ABSTRACT As local governments have moved toward adopting sustainability policies, there have been some cases where local Tea Parties have emerged as aggressive and strident opponents of such changes. Looking broadly at the Tea Party movement across the United States and systematically measuring its influence in urban America, we assess each Tea Party chapter’s capacity – its ability to convert resources into meaningful political advocacy. Data is derived from surveys of political elites in 50 cities as well as from determining the level of sustainability programming in each of these same cities. Evidence demonstrates that the Tea Party has not had a significant impact on city policymaking in the area of sustainability. Rather, the typical Tea Party chapter appears to be at best a modest presence in local politics.

Toward creating an environment of cooperation between water, energy, and food stakeholders in San Antonio

The San Antonio Region is home to a rapidly growing population with developing energy and agricultural sectors competing for water, land, and financial resources. Despite the tight interconnectedness between water, energy, and food challenges, little is known about the levels of communication and coordination among the various officials responsible for making the decisions that affect the management and planning of the three resource systems. It has been postulated that efficient communication is a prerequisite to developing resource allocation strategies that avoid potential unintended negative consequences that could result from inefficient allocation of natural resources and competing demands. Factors that may impact communication are identified and their potential roles are considered in improving existing levels of communication between San Antonios water officials and those at other energy, food, and water institutions in the San Antonio Region. A questionnaire designed to gather information on stakeholder concerns, frequency of communication, and participation in engagement forums was sent to public water officials in the Region. Using social network analysis and bivariate Ordinary Least Square regression analysis, the authors conclude that while modest levels of communication exist among water institutions, a very low level of communication exists between water institutions and those responsible for food and energy. It was further concluded that the frequency of communication among officials at different water institutions is higher among those that participated in stakeholder engagement activities. However, there is insufficient evidence to suggest that participation in stakeholder engagement activities improves communication frequency between water stakeholders and those in the food and energy sectors. There is also insufficient evidence to conclude that people at water institutions in San Antonio would have a higher frequency of communication with other water, energy, and food stakeholder in correlation with a higher level of concern about future water availability in the Region.