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The Fabric of Governing: Who’s in and who’s not

The Fabric of Governing: Who’s in and who’s not. Caroline Andrew Centre on Governance University of Ottawa Presentation for the ONRIS Fall Meeting Toronto, November 29, 2006. Lots of recent arguments for the link between equality and economic performance.

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The Fabric of Governing: Who’s in and who’s not

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  1. The Fabric of Governing:Who’s in and who’s not Caroline Andrew Centre on Governance University of Ottawa Presentation for the ONRIS Fall Meeting Toronto, November 29, 2006

  2. Lots of recent arguments for the link between equality and economic performance • ‘the increasing complementarity of social cohesion and regional competitiveness' (Manuel Pastor, 2005, OECD Conference on Sustainable Cities: Linking Competitiveness with Social Cohesion, p.15) • Role of local government along with business sector and civil society • ‘National policies and national leaders continue to matter but mayors, regional business groups, and municipal and metropolitan practices are often setting the stage for business investment decisions through their actions to improve basic infrastructure, local educational assets, and residential quality of life’ (Pastor, p. 1)

  3. My research • How do disadvantaged groups relate to municipal governments? • How do they seek to improve their access, or increase their influence, with municipal governments? Examples from different research projects: • Immigrant and visible minority population • Women from community-based groups (largely immigrant and visible minority) • Disadvantaged neighbourhoods (Lower Town in Ottawa)

  4. Theoretical framework: usefulness of urban regime analysis (Clarence Stone) • ‘Urban regime analysis thus concerns how local agency fits into the play of larger forces. Local actors are shaped by and respond to large structures, but the appropriate level for viewing this wider field is local agency – what motivates actors at this level, what affects their ability to cooperate or puts them into conflict, the leverage they can gain in tackling problems, and in general what they make of the structural forces in which they are enmeshed. These forces manifest themselves locally through such phenomena as: • Agenda feasibility • Coalition formation • Resource mobilization and • The ways in which modes of cooperation are worked out.’ (Stone, Urban Affairs Review, 2005, p.324)

  5. ‘In America…local business has been in a position to become part of the fabric of governing’ • ‘Often alienated from both schools and police and subject to damaging stereotypes, disadvantaged populations are weakly positioned to become part of the fabric of governing’ (Stone, 2005, p.327)

  6. How do disadvantaged groups relate to municipal governments? • Don’t see it as relevant (immigrant groups linked to federal governments) • See it as completely cut off from them (diverse women) • See it as shutting them out, exclusionary (some of visible minority population) • See it as weak and pushed around by federal and provincial governments (Lower Town residents and groups) Therefore they don’t try to relate

  7. Research projects looking at relationships between disadvantaged groups and municipal governments • Trying to change the definition of the fabric of governing • CAWI – Gender Equality Guide • Lower Town – Social infrastructure • Trying to become part of the fabric of governing • Round Tables – Policy-making with the community • CAWI – Training for Civic Engagement

  8. Changing the Definition • CAWI (City for all Women Initiative) • Piloting Gender Equality Guide (gender and diversity) • Equality as a lens for policy • Comprehensive policy framework

  9. Changing the Definition • Hub organizations – Lower Town Community Resource Centre • 1 of 13 across city – coalition of ED’s • Arguments about the importance of social infrastructure as part of the business argument about the importance of investment in infrastructure

  10. Trying to become part of the fabric of governing • Round Tables • Series of panels on different aspects of municipal policy and the inclusion of ethno-racial diversity • Discussion of existing practices and ‘good’ practices • Build immigrant and visible minority constituency for being engaged with municipal government

  11. Trying to become part of the fabric of governing • CAWI • 2nd part – training for civic engagement • ‘how to lobby the city’ • Creating political actors

  12. Results • ‘To what extent and under what conditions can lower-status populations have their alienation addressed so that they can be mobilized as active partners in efforts to bring about opportunity expansion?’ (Stone, 2005, p.328)

  13. Results • Very difficult and extremely time-consuming to try to change the fabric of governing • Importance of provincial government policy Study of management of diversity in Ottawa illustrates huge impact of Harris measures • Importance of pressure from outside Creating spaces for pressure Creating political actors 4. Importance of key organizations and individuals

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