Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2014 Institutional Politics, Power Constellations, and Urban Social Sustainability: A Comparative-Historical Analysis Jason M. Laguna Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] THE FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND PUBLIC POLICY INSTITUTIONAL POLITICS, POWER CONSTELLATIONS, AND URBAN SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY: A COMPARATIVE-HISTORICAL ANALYSIS By JASON M. LAGUNA A Dissertation submitted to the Department of Sociology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Summer Semester, 2014 Jason M. Laguna defended this dissertation on May 30, 2014. The members of the supervisory committee were: Douglas Schrock Professor Directing Dissertation Andy Opel University Representative Jill Quadagno Committee Member Daniel Tope Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the dissertation has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii This is dedicated to all the friends, family members, and colleagues whose help and support made this possible. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. vi Abstract ........................................................................................................................................ viii 1. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 Historical Development of Sustainability ......................................................................5 Overview of the Dissertation .........................................................................................8 2. CONCEPTUALIZING AND MEASURING SOCIAL SUSTAINABILITY ..................13 Fragmented Conceptualizations of Social Sustainability ............................................14 Assessment Frameworks of Urban Social Sustainability ............................................20 Social Sustainability of Urban Policy ..........................................................................27 Synthesizing and Modifying Conceptualizations and Assessment Methods of Social Sustainability................................................................................................................44 3. INSTITUTIONAL POLITICS AND POWER CONSTELLATIONS ..............................51 Institutional Politics Theory .........................................................................................53 Power Constellations Theory .......................................................................................65 Adapting Institutional Politics Theory and Power Constellations Theory for Urban Policy Research ............................................................................................................78 4. RESEARCH METHODS ..................................................................................................89 The Cities: Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland ..............................................................89 Comparative Historical Methods .................................................................................95 Dissertation Methods and Data ....................................................................................98 Conclusion .................................................................................................................115 5. ASSESSMENT OF SOCIALLY SUSTAINABLE URBAN POLICY ..........................117 Housing ......................................................................................................................121 Transportation ............................................................................................................136 Food ...........................................................................................................................151 Leisure and Recreation ..............................................................................................164 Social Cohesion .........................................................................................................177 Identity and Sense of Place ........................................................................................193 Conclusion .................................................................................................................201 6. COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF THEORETICAL PROPOSITIONS ........................205 Testing Institutional Politics Theory ..........................................................................211 Metropolitan Fragmentation ......................................................................................212 Governmental/Bureaucratic Capacity ........................................................................220 Citizen Participation...................................................................................................231 Testing Power Constellations Theory ........................................................................240 Strength of Organized Labor .....................................................................................241 Women’s Labor Force Participation ..........................................................................248 Strength of Center-Left Political Parties ....................................................................253 Scoring and Comparing the Theories ........................................................................270 iv Conclusion .................................................................................................................277 7. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION .............................................................................279 Assessment of Social Sustainability ..........................................................................279 Testing Theories of Policy Development ..................................................................283 Limitations and Avenues of Future Research ............................................................287 Conclusion .................................................................................................................291 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................294 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH ...........................................................................................313 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Policy Areas and Social Sustainability Criteria ...............................................................49 Table 2. Institutional Politics Theory: Summary of Approach, Selected Theoretical Propositions and Adapted Versions of Theoretical Propositions. ......................................................................84 Table 3. Power Constellations Theory: Summary of Approach, Selected Theoretical Propositions and Adapted Versions of Theoretical Propositions. ......................................................................88 Table 4. Socio-Demographic Data for Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland. ....................................90 Table 5. Policy Areas, Social Sustainability Criteria, and Data Sources .....................................100 Table 6. Theoretical Perspectives, Criteria, and Data Sources. ...................................................106 Table 7. Social Sustainability Criteria for Housing Policy and Social Sustainability Scores ....121 Table 8. Quantitative Criteria for Socially Sustainable Housing ................................................135 Table 9. Social Sustainability Criteria for Transportation Policy and Social Sustainability Scores ...........................................................................................................................................136 Table 10. Quantitative Criteria for Socially Sustainable Transportation ....................................151 Table 11. Social Sustainability Criteria for Food Policy and Social Sustainability Scores ........152 Table 12. Quantitative Criteria for Socially Sustainable Food Policy .........................................164 Table 13. Social Sustainability Criteria for Leisure and Recreation Policy and Social Sustainability Scores ....................................................................................................................165 Table 14. Quantitative Criteria for Socially Sustainable Leisure and Recreation Policy ............176 Table 15. Social Sustainability Criteria for Social Cohesion Policy and Social Sustainability Scores ...........................................................................................................................................178 Table 16. Quantitative Criteria for Socially Sustainable Social Cohesion Policy .......................192 Table 17. Social Sustainability Criteria for Identity and Sense of Place Policy and Social Sustainability Scores ...................................................................................................................193 Table 18. Social Sustainability Assessment Framework ............................................................202 Table 19. Indicators of Metropolitan Fragmentation ...................................................................214 vi Table 20. Indicators of Governmental/Bureaucratic