Transportation and the environment in world cities: Making policies work in democratic society
Description
Transportation-related air pollution in recent years has topped the list of environmental problems facing major cities in industrialized countries. Experts widely agree that only changes in transportation patterns can prevent urban air quality from further deterioration. Although numerous cities have been experimenting with innovative policies for quite some time, implementation results are mixed at best. This contrasts sharply with the relative success governments have had in regulating business behavior. In democratic societies, it seems, the state's capacities are limited when it comes to restricting the freedom of the individual citizen in pursuit of a collective good This work is a study of governments' abilities to produce collective goods. As an example, it examines the political and institutional conditions that promote the development and implementation of environmentally sound urban transportation policies. The author focuses on two variables she assumes to be decisive for policy success: (1) politicization of the policymaking process, and (2) high policymaking autonomy of the city government. She argues that collective goods can be produced most effectively if the political institutions facilitate learning. Only then will individuals transcend their short-term self-interest To test the hypotheses, transportation-oriented environmental policymaking in four cities--Los Angeles, Mexico City, London, and Berlin--is analyzed in-depth and over time. An evaluation of air quality and transportation data contrasts expectations with performance The evidence strongly supports politicization as a critical determinant of policy success. City autonomy is found to be of moderate significance. Importantly, the study shows that the political, institutional, and cultural contexts in each setting have shaped the character of politicization and the form of city autonomy. The work contributes to several debates in democratic theory and supplements the field of comparative environmental policy. The findings have important implications for effective policymaking in democratic societies