March 1, 2021
What We Are Learning This Week with Dr. Jacqueline Peterson
March 1, 2021, in POLI 433 Urban Policy and Governance
Dr. Jacqueline Peterson is digging into municipal finance鈥攈ow do cities raise money and where does it go? Plus, we鈥檙e in conversation with Councillor Jeff Davison on local economic development strategies and with small business advocate Kelly Doody on property taxes!
Can you tell us a little more about this topic?
Cities receive revenue from a variety of different sources to pay for the services they provide鈥攎ostly from property taxes and user fees, but also from higher levels of government, fees, investments, and more. Cities are also often involved in trying to boost local economies through their tax and spending decisions. Naturally, these decisions can be political鈥攈ow should the tax burden be distributed? Which capital investments are most likely to grow the economy? Why don鈥檛 Canadian cities have a sales tax鈥 and should they?
What else do you cover in your course?
This course looks at how cities are governed and the policies they produce. A number of actors are involved in urban governance: municipalities, other levels of government, regional authorities, civil society, businesses. The power and influence of these groups often depend on the policy area. This course examines a number of critical urban policy areas (economic development, transportation, planning, housing, etc.) as well as urban issues that are becoming increasingly important and urgent (climate change, #BLM, 鈥渟mart cities鈥, the impacts of COVID-19, etc.). This course focuses on the North American urban experience, with a particular emphasis on contemporary events and dynamics in the 荔枝视频 region.
What do you love about teaching this course?
鈥淚f all three levels of government were to disappear overnight, you would notice the local level first.鈥 The bus wouldn鈥檛 come, traffic lights wouldn鈥檛 work, toilets wouldn鈥檛 flush, police wouldn鈥檛 answer the phone. I love teaching this course because urban policy is everywhere, and directly impacts our lives in so many ways. Helping students recognize the ubiquity and importance of local decision-making processes, as well as helping them critically assess and evaluate these processes and their associated outcomes, is rewarding. It is my hope that this course gives students the ability and confidence to be 鈥渃ity builders鈥 and contribute to their communities鈥攊n whatever form that might be.
Finally, what other courses would you recommend for students interested this topic?
Other urban politics, public policy, provincial politics, or intergovernmental politics courses would be a great accompaniment for this course. Also, urban policy is so interdisciplinary, and deals with tons of other issue areas鈥攃heck out more specialized courses on whatever your interests may be, whether planning, citizen engagement, race, public finance (and much more!)鈥攂oth within the Political Science Department or the broader U荔枝视频 community.
Our Thanks to Dr. Jacqueline Peterson for sharing your course with us.