Mobilization Politics

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)