Just Growth ─ Inclusion and Prosperity in America's Metropolitan Regions

Benner (human and community development, U. of California Davis) and Pastor (geography and American studies and ethnicity, U. of Southern California) argue that income inequality was a key element in the recent economic crisis and that dealing with this inequality may help the US get out of the recession. They contend that what is needed is more than just growth alone, but the concept of "just growth," a framework in which social equity is coupled with strategies for the macro-economy, new industrial development, and re-regulation of the financial system. They consider the ways in which prosperity and inclusion have been linked at a metropolitan or regional level and present quantitative and qualitative analysis of a sample of the largest 192 metropolitan regions in the US from the 1980s and 1990s, with recent data from 2009 and 2010, to identify those regions with above median performance in economic growth and social equity indicators and explore the demographic, political, and economic determinants behind these patterns. They then identify seven regions (Kansas City, Jacksonville, Nashville, Columbus, Sacramento, Denver, and Cleveland) for in-depth case studies that reveal detailed processes, policies, and institutional arrangements that might explain more and less equitable growth. Annotation c2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Chris Benner is Associate Professor in the Human and Community Development at the University of California Davis, USA.

Manuel Pastor is Professor of Geography and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California and Director of the USC Program for Environmental and Regional Equity, as well as co-Director of the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration