The mission of this book is to attack the idea that Houston is a conservative role model, a city that succeeds due to its boundless devotion to free enterprise. In this mission, Feagin fails more than he succeeds- partially because to get to his substantive argument a reader has to get through a chapter or two of sociological jargon, and another chapter or two of mind-numbing factual detail about every business leader who has ever lived in Houston. This book would have been better had it been about half its size. When he ...
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The mission of this book is to attack the idea that Houston is a conservative role model, a city that succeeds due to its boundless devotion to free enterprise. In this mission, Feagin fails more than he succeeds- partially because to get to his substantive argument a reader has to get through a chapter or two of sociological jargon, and another chapter or two of mind-numbing factual detail about every business leader who has ever lived in Houston. This book would have been better had it been about half its size. When he gets to substance, his attack on Houston fails because he shows nothing more than that Houston has problems just like other cities- pollution, congestion, poverty, sprawl. So Houston isn't utopia. So what? Feagin fails because he makes little effort to compare Houston to other cities, except for a stray remark here and there. So he really didn't persuade me that Houston's problems were due to its allegedly small government, or that more socialistic policies would be more successful. Moreover, Feagin is utterly blind to the unintended consequences of government action. For example, he praises Houston for enacting minimum parking requirements and setback regulations, overlooking the possibility that such regulations contribute to the ills that he complains about by forcing pedestrians to walk through seas of parking to get to buildings. He complains that Houston has less public housing than other cities- but how many Cabrini-Greens and similar fiascoes does a city need? He praises Minneapolis as a role model- overlooking the small fact that Minneapolis has lost a fourth of its 1950 population, while Houston keeps growing. One thing Feagin does right: he points out that Houston is hardly a laissez-faire paradise, in that government has consistently subsidized its business elite through spending on roads, port facilities, convention centers, etc.
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Add this copy of Free Enterprise City to cart. $4.98, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Rutgers University Press.
Add this copy of Free Enterprise City to cart. $5.00, good condition, Sold by HPB-Red rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Rutgers University Press.
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Add this copy of Free Enterprise City to cart. $6.21, good condition, Sold by Coas Books, Inc. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Las Cruces, NM, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Rutgers University Press.
Add this copy of Free Enterprise City: Houston in Political-Economic to cart. $27.99, good condition, Sold by Bookmarc's rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from La Porte, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Rutgers University Press.
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Good in Very Good jacket. CG3-A first edition (no additional printing) hardcover book in good condition in very good dust jacket that is mylar protectd. Dust jacket has some wrinkling, chipping and crease on the edges and corners, some scattered light scratches, rubbing and wrinkling, tanning and light shelf wear. Book has some bumped corners, wrinkling on the spine edges, some highlighting and wrinkling/crease on some inside pages, light discoloration and shelf wear. 9.5"x6.5", 322 pages Satisfaction Guaranteed. Is Houston, Texas, the nation's fourth largest city, the successful model of a free enterprise city it is widely assumed to be? In this first, in-depth, critical analysis of a Sunbelt city, after assessing the social costs of Houston's growth and its current social and economic systems, Joe Feagin answers with a resounding "no." Feagin argues that it is incorrect to view Houston as an autonomous, self-regulating city; Houston has long been dependent on the international economy, first with the cotton trade and now with the oil economy. Moreover, Houston's business elite may say proudly that federal, state, and local government intervention is minimal in Houston, but in reality the close relationship between the state and the business elite is one of the more revealing aspects of Houston's political-economic evolution. Feagin finds that business people encourage governmental intervention when it improves commerce and profit, but not when it is intended to improve public services for poor and moderate-income neighborhoods. For example, the business elite has encouraged government agencies to issue bonds to improve the port, but not to increase publicly subsidized housing. With weak urban planning in the public interest and virtually no zoning, the city faces serious problems with flooding, toxic waste, water and air pollution, street maintenance, and sewage-problems that even worse than in other cities. Many of these problems, Feagin argues, are the social costs of the "good business climate, " costs that are borne more by the minority and poor residents of Houston than by the business elite. Using a broad analysis that takes into account Houston's history, politics, economics, international orientation, ethnic, relations, planning experience, and the actions of individual leaders, Feagin paints a picture of a city that has been a profitable paradise for the affluent and a difficult place for everyone else. In the mid-1980s, as Houston faces an unprecedented economic crisis, business has been slow to respond, the poor continue to suffer, and little groundwork has been laid to enable the city to diversify and to make a rapid recovery.
Add this copy of Free Enterprise City to cart. $28.18, very good condition, Sold by Half Price Books Inc rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Rutgers University Press.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of Free Enterprise City to cart. $30.15, good condition, Sold by Phatpocket Limited rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham Abbey, ESSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1988 by Rutgers University Press.
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Good. Ships from UK in 48 hours or less (usually same day). Your purchase helps support Sri Lankan Children's Charity 'The Rainbow Centre'. Ex-library, so some stamps and wear, but in good overall condition. 100% money back guarantee. We are a world class secondhand bookstore based in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and specialize in high quality textbooks across an enormous variety of subjects. We aim to provide a vast range of textbooks, rare and collectible books at a great price. Our donations to The Rainbow Centre have helped provide an education and a safe haven to hundreds of children who live in appalling conditions. We provide a 100% money back guarantee and are dedicated to providing our customers with the highest standards of service in the bookselling industry.
Add this copy of Free Enterprise City to cart. $39.05, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Rutgers University Press.
Add this copy of Free Enterprise City to cart. $68.72, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 1988 by Rutgers University Press.
