{"product_id":"the-unheavenly-city-revisited-9780844751009","title":"The Unheavenly City Revisited","description":"\u003cb\u003ePoverty. Illiteracy. Crime. Unemployment. Riots.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBig cities so often appear to have terrible problems, and\u003cbr\u003eAmericans have a long history of convincing themselves that urban areas are in\u003cbr\u003ecrises and that the federal government must do something to improve matters.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEdward C. Banfield argues the conventional wisdom is\u003cbr\u003eincorrect. In \u003ci\u003eThe Unheavenly City Revisited\u003c\/i\u003e, he presents rigorous\u003cbr\u003eanalyses showing that \"by any conceivable measure of material welfare the\u003cbr\u003epresent generation of urban Americans is, on the whole, better off than any\u003cbr\u003eother large group of people has ever been anywhere.\" He furthermore argues that\u003cbr\u003ethere is little evidence that the billions of dollars of government spending is\u003cbr\u003eimproving matters. Indeed, well-intended government actions have proved harmful\u003cbr\u003ein some instances. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Unheavenly City Revisited\u003c\/i\u003e cautions policymakers that\u003cbr\u003etheir biases may affect their perceptions of America's metropolitan areas.\u003cbr\u003eImproving the lives of people in cities through government action is an\u003cbr\u003eexceedingly complex enterprise. Government officials and citizens alike must be\u003cbr\u003erealists about what government action can achieve.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBanfield, Edward C.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eEdward C. Banfield\u003c\/b\u003e (1916-99) was a professor at\u003cbr\u003ethe University of Chicago, Harvard University, and the University of\u003cbr\u003ePennsylvania. He authored more than a dozen books on urban politics, political\u003cbr\u003ecooperation, and American governance.\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKosar, Kevin R.:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eKevin\u003cbr\u003eR. Kosar\u003c\/b\u003e is a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he\u003cbr\u003estudies the US Congress, the administrative state, American politics, election\u003cbr\u003ereform, and the US Postal Service.","brand":"AEI Press Classics","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51735735107858,"sku":"9780844751009","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_30590c82-e06b-4e31-bfe4-22f031e5276e.jpg?v=1763543368","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-unheavenly-city-revisited-9780844751009","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}