Mario Polèse

That some cities are vibrant while others are in decline is starkly apparent. In The Wealth and Poverty of Cities, Mario Polèse argues that focusing on city attributes is too narrow. Cities do not control the basic conditions that determine their success or failure as sources of economic growth and well-being. Nations matter because successful metropolitan economies do not spring forth spontaneously. The values, norms, and institutions that shape social relationships are national attributes. The preconditions for the creation of wealth-the rule of law, public education, and sound macroeconomic management among the most fundamental-are the responsibility of the state. By considering national fiscal and monetary policies and state policies governing the organization of cities, this book disentangles two processes: the mechanics of creating wealth and the mechanics of agglomeration or capturing wealth. Polèse explains the two-stage process in which the proper conditions must first be in place for the benefits of agglomeration to fully flower. Polèse interweaves evocative descriptions of various cities, contrasting cities that have been helped or hurt by local and national policies wise or ill-advised. From New York to Vienna, Buenos Aires to Port au Prince, the cities come to life. Throughout the book Polèse highlights four factors that help explain strengths and weaknesses of cities as foci of economic opportunity and social cohesion: institutions, people, centrality, and chance. The result is a nuanced and accessible introduction to the economy of cities and an original perspective on what needs to improve. Cities that have managed to produce livable urban environments for the majority of their citizens mirror the societies that spawned them. Similarly, cities that have failed are almost always signs of more deep-rooted failures. If the nation does not work, neither will its cities.

Why do some places prosper while others lag behind? Surely the advent of the Internet and ever newer communications technologies will level the playing field. Not so, argues Mario Polese in "The Wealth and Poverty of Regions"; rather, geography will matter more than ever before in a world where distance is allegedly dead. This provocative book surveys the globe, from London and Cape Town to New York and Beijing, contending that regions rise - or fall - due to their location, not only within nations but also on the world map. Polese reveals how initial concentrations of industries and populations in specific locales often result in minor advantages that accumulate over time, resulting in reduced costs, improved transportation networks, higher productivity, and, not least of all, "buzz" - the excitement and vitality that attracts ambitious people. However, these are attributes that can also be lost. Even big cities can falter. And small places can succeed, given the right conditions. "The Wealth and Poverty of Regions" maps out how a heady mix of size, proximity, technological change, and just plain chance will determine which places become the thriving metropolises of the future, and which become the deserted backwaters of the past. Engagingly written, the book provides insight into the past, present, and future of regions.

Why do some places prosper while others lag behind? Surely the advent of the Internet and ever newer communications technologies will level the playing field. Not so, argues Mario Polese in "The Wealth and Poverty of Regions"; rather, geography will matter more than ever before in a world where distance is allegedly dead. This provocative book surveys the globe, from London and Cape Town to New York and Beijing, contending that regions rise - or fall - due to their location, not only within nations but also on the world map. Polese reveals how initial concentrations of industries and populations in specific locales often result in minor advantages that accumulate over time, resulting in reduced costs, improved transportation networks, higher productivity, and, not least of all, "buzz" - the excitement and vitality that attracts ambitious people. However, these are attributes that can also be lost. Even big cities can falter. And small places can succeed, given the right conditions. "The Wealth and Poverty of Regions" maps out how a heady mix of size, proximity, technological change, and just plain chance will determine which places become the thriving metropolises of the future, and which become the deserted backwaters of the past. Engagingly written, the book provides insight into the past, present, and future of regions.

This book examines the influence of local public services on the economics of cities. The relationship between economic development and urbanization is indisputable; less clear, however, are the ways in which cities directly contribute to economic growth and employment creation. Current economic thinking holds that the ability of cities to create wealth depends on ""agglomeration economies;"" that is, the geographic concentration of industries and people which enables economic actors to come together, interact, and become productive. However, this ability to promote productive interaction depends on several factors, one of which is the provision of local public services. The book argues that the quality of local services significantly influences the productivity of a city, and of its business firms. Inferior local services increase the cost of interaction, erode the effects of agglomeration, and diminish wealth-creation potential. This study attempts to assess the costs of inferior local public services to firms. Based on surveys conducted in five cities - Belo Horizonte (Brazil), Montreal (Canada), Puebla (Mexico), San Jose (Costa Rica), and San Salvador (El Salvador) - it examines the complex issues surrounding local service provision, and illustrates how inferior local services affect firms and, in turn, the ability of firms to contribute to wealth.