How grassroots activism transforms contemporary urban politics in Philadelphia and beyond Immigration, gentrification, and the rise of an innovation-based economy are altering American cities. In Mobilization Politics, Stephen J. McGovern offers a new approach to analyzing contemporary urban politics in light of these broad, societal changes. Redirecting the focus from the top-down orientation of regime theory toward a more bottom-up perspective, he contends that a striking upsurge in grassroots activism around issues such as policing and criminal justice reform, precarious labor, affordable housing, community development, and workforce diversity is transforming urban politics and policymaking. Through a detailed analysis of political activity in Philadelphia over the past decade, McGovern elucidates the mechanisms and impacts of grassroots mobilization. Philadelphia is typical of many large American cities with a relatively prosperous downtown core surrounded by neighborhoods that continue to struggle, sometimes amidst grinding poverty and long-standing racial oppression. And yet, Philadelphia, as a site of substantial grassroots activism since the early 2010s, has made significant strides in combatting economic and racial inequality in several important policy realms. Mobilization Politics expands the scope of the field of urban politics beyond the quiet, behind-the-scenes bargaining of regime partners and considers other key arenas of political contestation-such as electoral politics; policymaking by the mayor, administrative agencies, and the city council; and a wide range of activist groups operating at the grassroots. The book shows how bottom-up mobilization has been especially effective when activists engaging in street protests and demonstrations have joined with more established community-based organizations and issue-advocacy groups skilled in lobbying, litigation, and electioneering. By highlighting how this combination of insider/outsider activism has been a potent force for political change in contemporary Philadelphia, Mobilization Politics presents a more comprehensive, dynamic, and revealing way to look at power and politics in American cities today.
Stephen J. McGovern is Professor of Political Science at Haverford College.
"Mobilization Politics is an original and important book. It forges new ground in the analysis of urban politics-bringing to the center the role of mobilization, of activism, of social movements, and showing how these actions link to electoral politics and the decisions of elected officials. Stephen J. McGovern's knowledge of Philadelphia is deep, and his longstanding study of the city brings to life a vast and rich collection of data and actors." (Mara Sidney, Rutgers University) "Mobilization Politics has the potential to reshape the field of urban politics and policy. Working in the tradition of Robert Dahl and Clarence Stone, Stephen J. McGovern considers community power and the broad implications of how power manifests itself in urban America today. McGovern's book could be the next classic text in the field with the same applicability and longevity, applied to cities across the United States and the world." (Stephanie Chambers, Trinity College) "Mobilization Politics makes a clear, convincing, and well-supported case that to understand urban politics in large twenty-first century cities we must move away from the top-down focus of regime theory. Without minimizing the challenges these movements face or ignoring their occasional failures, Stephen J. McGovern shows how a host of bottom-up, grassroots efforts, based in Philadelphia's changing populations and social movements, are having a powerful impact on policing and criminal justice, immigrant rights, workplace protections, and affordable housing. The book provides an invaluable map for invigorating scholarship in the field of urban politics." (John Mollenkopf, CUNY Graduate Center) "Deeply researched and richly detailed, Mobilization Politics makes an important contribution to the literature on contemporary Philadelphia as well as to the literature on urban politics more generally. Stephen J. McGovern's vivid account of a fateful period in Philadelphia's politics will spark needed dialogue about the meaning and consequences of progressive mobilization in US cities over the past two decades." (Laura Wolf-Powers, author of University City: History, Race, and Community in the Era of the Innovation District)
