Developments in Central and East European Politics 4

Developments in Central and East European Politics 4 brings together specially commissioned chapters by a team of leading international scholars focusing on the key features of the political systems that have emerged following the transition to postcommunist rule and the enlargement of the European Union. Full attention is given to the pattern of events in individual nations, but the main emphasis is on the framework of politics across the region - constitutions, leaderships, parliaments, parties and electoral systems - and the process of politics, including political participation, civil society, economic change, and the quality of democratic government within and beyond the region.

Politics & Social Sciences

Stephen White

Paul G. Lewis

Judy Batt

Politics & Government

PALGRAVE~MACMILLAN

This book provides an overview of postwar transportation policy at the federal and state levels, focusing in particular on the evolution of metropolitan planning organizations, which have played a major role in urban transportation planning since the early 1960's. The authors examine the regional issues facing urban areas and the effect of intergovernmental relations on transportation planning in California. Although the authors focus specifically on transportation policy, their findings also illuminate a central issue in the devolution of government responsibility - namely, that incentives and outcomes may vary considerably, depending on the level of government making the decisions.

Federal Transportation Policy and the Role of Metropolitian Planning Organizations in California

Mary Sprague

Business & Money

Public Policy Institute of California

California’s recent population and job growth have outstripped its new housing production. As a result, median home prices and rents have escalated while affordability rates have fallen. Although these trends present various challenges to the state government, city governments actually make most of the land-use decisions that affect housing. Many observers maintain that California’s cities have not done enough to accommodate new housing in recent years, and some critics have argued that local growth controls are a major cause of the state’s housing shortfalls. 
In Cities Under Pressure: Local Growth Controls and Residential Development Policy, Paul Lewis and Max Neiman evaluate these claims by examining the residential development policies of California’s cities. Focusing on local efforts to control the amount, type, and location of new housing, the authors use a variety of data sources—including a detailed survey of almost 300 city planning officials in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area, and the Central Valley—to investigate which communities adopt growth controls and why. Their findings indicate that most growthmanagement policies are understandable responses to the cross-pressures experienced by city officials. 
Although the authors note that some local growth controls may indeed hinder homebuilding, they argue that broader market forces and state policies probably do more to explain California’s high housing costs and slow production. They suggest that a more predictable and transparent development process would help minimize conflict over growth. They also urge local officials to manage such conflicts before they erupt and to take the lead in resolving them once they do.

Cities Under Pressure: Local Growth Control and Residential Development Policy

Max Neiman

Public Policy Inst of California

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Books by Paul G. Lewis