Beyond the City Walls: The Politics of Resentment

Held on October 18, 2021
Watch a recording of the event below.

Cities are vibrant centers of innovation and change. In most places, however, cities themselves are mostly defined by archaic boundaries sometimes originating in the mists of history that bear little relationship to current realities. Problems such as congestion, pollution, and the availability of affordable housing cross city boundaries.

This event addresses political tensions between cities and the more rural parts of their regions that are often “left behind” communities. The wave of populist politics that has swept economically advanced democracies in the last 10 years has many aspects; one central theme has been antipathy to metropolitan cities and their more liberal values. Beliefs that leading metropolitan centers take more than their fair share of resources—including tax revenue—and dominate culturally have been critical elements in fueling populist movements. Understanding and finding a way to alleviate these tensions is important for the future of cities.

Featuring:

• Katherine Cramer, Virginia Sapiro Professor of Political Science & the Natalie C. Holton Chair of Letters & Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison
• Deb Roy, Professor of Media Arts and Sciences & Executive Director of the Center for Constructive Communication, MIT
• Vivien Schmidt, Jean Monnet Professor of European Integration & Professor of International Relations and Political Science, Boston University
• Janet Laible, Associate Professor of Political Science at Lehigh University & Executive Director of the British Politics Group at the American Political Science Association