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Systemic Power in Community Decision Making: A Restatement of Stratification Theory

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  • Stone, Clarence N.

Abstract

In their continued considerations of political inequality, urban scholars are especially concerned with less visible influences surrounding community decision making, and have employed such concepts as potential power, nondecision making, and anticipated reactions. However, these concepts leave some patterns of influence unexplained. There is also a dimension of power in which durable features of the socioeconomic system confer advantages and disadvantages on groups in ways that predispose public officials to favor some interests at the expense of others. Public officials make their decisions in a context in which strategically important resources are hierarchically arranged. Because this system of stratification leaves public officials situationally dependent on upper-strata interests, it is a factor in all that they do. Consequently, system features lower the opportunity costs of exerting influence for some groups and raise them for others. Thus socioeconomic inequalities put various strata on different political footings.

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  • Stone, Clarence N., 1980. "Systemic Power in Community Decision Making: A Restatement of Stratification Theory," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 74(4), pages 978-990, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:74:y:1980:i:04:p:978-990_16
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    Cited by:

    1. Timothy W Collins, 2008. "Unevenness in Urban Governance: Stadium Building and Downtown Redevelopment in Phoenix, Arizona," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 26(6), pages 1177-1196, December.
    2. Clemente J. Navarro Yáñez & Annick Magnier & M. Antonia Ramírez, 2008. "Local Governance as Government–Business Cooperation in Western Democracies: Analysing Local and Intergovernmental Effects by Multi‐Level Comparison," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(3), pages 531-547, September.
    3. Mark Sandford, 2020. "Conceptualising ‘generative power’: Evidence from the city-regions of England," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(10), pages 2098-2114, August.
    4. Yung, Esther H.K. & Sun, Yi, 2020. "Power relationships and coalitions in urban renewal and heritage conservation: The Nga Tsin Wai Village in Hong Kong," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    5. Bharathi, Naveen & Malghan, Deepak & Mishra, Sumit & Rahman, Andaleeb, 2024. "Status inequality and public goods," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 176(C).
    6. Hamlett, Cathy A., 1987. "Private provision of local rural roads," ISU General Staff Papers 198701010800009541, Iowa State University, Department of Economics.
    7. Candace K May, 2015. "Politics of visibility: competing for legitimacy in North Carolina fisheries governance," Environment and Planning C, , vol. 33(6), pages 1484-1500, December.
    8. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/5405 is not listed on IDEAS
    9. Lankina, Tomila, 2008. "Cross-Cutting Literature Review on the Drivers of Local Council Accountability and Performance," MPRA Paper 12408, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    10. Prudence R. Brown & Alastair Stark, 2022. "Policy inaction meets policy learning: four moments of non-implementation," Policy Sciences, Springer;Society of Policy Sciences, vol. 55(1), pages 47-63, March.
    11. repec:hal:wpspec:info:hdl:2441/5405 is not listed on IDEAS
    12. Yung Yau & Tin Choi Cheung, 2021. "Revisiting the Concept of the Property State: Private Landowners and Suburban Development in Hong Kong," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 80(2), pages 427-464, March.
    13. Mark Sandford, 2019. "Money talks: The finances of English Combined Authorities," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 34(2), pages 106-122, March.
    14. Herman L. Boschken, 2013. "Global Cities Are Coastal Cities Too: Paradox in Sustainability?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 50(9), pages 1760-1778, July.
    15. repec:spo:wpmain:info:hdl:2441/5405 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Eitan, Avri & Herman, Lior & Fischhendler, Itay & Rosen, Gillad, 2019. "Community–private sector partnerships in renewable energy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 95-104.
    17. repec:hal:spmain:info:hdl:2441/5405 is not listed on IDEAS

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