Adapting to the political moment and diverse terrain of 'actually existing municipalisms'

Cumbers, A. and Paul, F. (2020) Adapting to the political moment and diverse terrain of 'actually existing municipalisms'. Soundings: A Journal of Politics and Culture, 74, pp. 40-53. (doi: 10.3898/SOUN.74.03.2020)

Abstract

This article engages constructively with the ‘new municipalism’, while cautioning against imposing another set of top-down elite imperatives on ‘left behind places’. It also points out that local does not necessarily mean progressive, citing the example of Tees Valley’s Conservative mayor Ben Houchen. As an alternative, it draws upon positive experiences from the recent global remunicipalisation trend, and highlights the importance of working with ‘actually existing’ municipalisms on the ground, focusing in particular on Germany, where there remains a strong public ethos, and commitment to öffentliche Daseinsvorsorge - ‘public (well-)being provision’. It takes Darmstadt as a specific example, and looks at its city economic strategy - Stadtwirtschaftsstrategie. It concludes that productive coalitions and new alliances for a renewed left municipalism can be built through working with continuing, new and diverse forms of municipal values and cultures, both within the UK and internationally.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Cumbers, Professor Andrew and Paul, Dr Franziska
• Authors: Cumbers, A., and Paul, F.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > Adam Smith Business School > Management
• Journal Name: Soundings: A Journal of Politics and Culture
• Publisher: Lawrence and Wishart
• ISSN: 1362-6620
• ISSN (Online): 1741-0797
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 Lawrence and Wishart
• First Published: First published in Soundings: A Journal of Politics and Culture 74: 40-53
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy

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