490
18.2.2 The Public Sector and Governance in Cities
In this section, we focus on the ways in which the public sector and the governance
process can drive actions at the FEW nexus.
A city sits at the intersection of multiple governments. These governments differ in
their scale, spatial purview, and substantive responsibility. Thus, the public sector that
influences the FEW urban nexus includes, in addition to the city government itself,
international and national governments, state or provincial governments, county and
regional governments, and borough or ward governments, as well as school districts,
water districts, and sometimes energy utility districts, air pollution control districts
and others. For example, Chicago has over 1000 applicable governmental bodies, and
the New York metropolitan area has over 1400 at various scales. These governments,
their agents, and elected officials may work together to varying degrees; politics and
the legal system may come into play where conflicts in ordinances, laws, administrative rules, policies, and their interpretation arise. See Chapter 20 for discussion of
Human Conflicts and resolution strategies at the FEW nexus. Furthermore, the authority of public or private interests may be in flux at any given point in time, as demonstrated by the movement toward remunicipalization of water and energy systems in
various instances (returning private services to municipal authority—the policy criterion), treating these resources as a commons rather than a commodity.
Understanding the public sector as a driver of the urban FEW nexus is further
complicated by the plethora of overarching governmental and economic systems
present throughout the world. For example, in pluralist governmental systems, no
set of interests in the society has sufficient power to determine government action to
a complete extent, and the organizations and processes of government decide what
is in the public good and act accordingly. In comparison, the statist system of government assumes that the state itself has interests and acts in ways that conserve and
enhance its power over material, human and monetary resources, and over the legitimate use of force. Depending on the economic system in place, government may act
to benefit the interests of one or more specific capitals (extractive, agricultural,
industrial, commercial, financial)—and/or to benefit the long-term interests of capitalism as a mode of socio-economic organization—consolidating wealth to a greater
degree in private control (such as in the USA) or public control (such as in China’s
state capitalism of the twenty-first century); in contrast, purely communist economic systems in which there is officially no private wealth are increasingly rare
(such as Cuba and North Korea). This section will discuss the FEW Nexus in pluralist and statist governmental systems that function within a capitalist private sector,
as discussed previously in this chapter.
18.2.2.1 Food Systems
The roles of municipal governments in the agriculture/food sector have increased in
recent years. Traditionally charged with ensuring the safety of food in food service
and retail establishments, city governments have now become more active in food
policy. These activities include:
C. Harris et al.
18.2.2 The Public Sector and Governance in Cities
In this section, we focus on the ways in which the public sector and the governance
process can drive actions at the FEW nexus.
A city sits at the intersection of multiple governments. These governments differ in
their scale, spatial purview, and substantive responsibility. Thus, the public sector that
influences the FEW urban nexus includes, in addition to the city government itself,
international and national governments, state or provincial governments, county and
regional governments, and borough or ward governments, as well as school districts,
water districts, and sometimes energy utility districts, air pollution control districts
and others. For example, Chicago has over 1000 applicable governmental bodies, and
the New York metropolitan area has over 1400 at various scales. These governments,
their agents, and elected officials may work together to varying degrees; politics and
the legal system may come into play where conflicts in ordinances, laws, administrative rules, policies, and their interpretation arise. See Chapter 20 for discussion of
Human Conflicts and resolution strategies at the FEW nexus. Furthermore, the authority of public or private interests may be in flux at any given point in time, as demonstrated by the movement toward remunicipalization of water and energy systems in
various instances (returning private services to municipal authority—the policy criterion), treating these resources as a commons rather than a commodity.
Understanding the public sector as a driver of the urban FEW nexus is further
complicated by the plethora of overarching governmental and economic systems
present throughout the world. For example, in pluralist governmental systems, no
set of interests in the society has sufficient power to determine government action to
a complete extent, and the organizations and processes of government decide what
is in the public good and act accordingly. In comparison, the statist system of government assumes that the state itself has interests and acts in ways that conserve and
enhance its power over material, human and monetary resources, and over the legitimate use of force. Depending on the economic system in place, government may act
to benefit the interests of one or more specific capitals (extractive, agricultural,
industrial, commercial, financial)—and/or to benefit the long-term interests of capitalism as a mode of socio-economic organization—consolidating wealth to a greater
degree in private control (such as in the USA) or public control (such as in China’s
state capitalism of the twenty-first century); in contrast, purely communist economic systems in which there is officially no private wealth are increasingly rare
(such as Cuba and North Korea). This section will discuss the FEW Nexus in pluralist and statist governmental systems that function within a capitalist private sector,
as discussed previously in this chapter.
18.2.2.1 Food Systems
The roles of municipal governments in the agriculture/food sector have increased in
recent years. Traditionally charged with ensuring the safety of food in food service
and retail establishments, city governments have now become more active in food
policy. These activities include:
C. Harris et al.