Culture Wars and Local Politics

"Culture wars" have turned American communities into ideological battlegrounds. When issues like gay rights, needle exchange programs, abortion clinic protests, and hate crime are at stake, the response of citizens is likely to be strong--and that of local governments is likely to be unpredictable. This collection provides alternative explanations of local actions with a focus on current conflict. A team of prominent scholars in urban politics examines how local governments handle morality-based issues: whether they evade controversies or instigate them, enact policies responsive to activist pressure or repress protests calling for change. Culture Wars and Local Politics features examples of actual experiences in selected cities, differing in community culture and size, from New York to San Francisco, Denver to Greenville, South Carolina. The contributors examine how the responses of local government to specific issues are influenced by such factors as political culture and institutions, belief systems of public officials, and a city's niche in intergovernmental relations or national social movements. Because culture wars represent more than just politics-as-usual, most theory related to urban politics doesn't necessarily apply. Departing from typical economic approaches to urban problems, this collection develops a perspective that draws on cultural analysis, the new institutionalism, feminism, social movement theory, and regime theory. It breaks new ground by challenging the comprehensiveness of existing treatments of urban politics, with each of the chapters contributing to a theoretical synthesis. How local governments handle these volatile issues has major implications for civil liberties, preventing violence and the development or erosion of public trust. By providing a multi-topical approach focused at the local level, this book offers an excellent source for triggering both student discussion and citizen awareness.