Jen Nelles – författare

How are metropolitan regions governed? What makes some regions more effective than others in managing policies that cross local jurisdictional boundaries? Political coordination among municipal governments is necessary to attract investment, rapid and efficient public transit systems, and to sustain cultural infrastructure in metropolitan regions. In this era of fragmented authority, local governments alone rarely possess the capacity to address these policy issues alone.This book explores the sources and barriers to cooperation and metropolitan policy making. It combines different streams of scholarship on regional governance to explain how and why metropolitan partnerships emerge and flourish in some places and fail to in others. It systematically tests this theory in the Frankfurt and Rhein-Neckar regions of Germany and the Toronto and Waterloo regions in Canada. Discovering that existing theories of metropolitan collective action based on institutions and opportunities are inconsistent, the author proposes a new theory of "civic capital", which argues that civic engagement and leadership at the regional scale can be important catalysts to metropolitan cooperation. The extent to which the actors hold a shared image of the metropolis and engage at that scale strongly influences the degree to which local authorities will be willing and able to coordinate policies for the collective development of the region. Metropolitan Governance and Policy will be of interest to students and scholars of comparative urban and metropolitan governance and sociology.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has morphed in ways that would be unrecognizable to its founders. Its mission evolved from improving rail freight to building motor vehicle crossings, airports, office towers, and industrial parks and taking control of a failing commuter rail line. In its early years, the agency was often viewed with admiration; however as it drew up plans, negotiated to take control of airfields and marine terminals, and constructed large bridges and tunnels, the Port Authority became the object of less favorable attention. It was attacked as a “super-government” that must be reined in, while the mayors of New York and Newark argued that it should be broken up with its pieces given to local governments for their own use.Despite its criticisms and travails, for over half a century the Port Authority overcame hurdles that had frustrated other public and private efforts, built the world's longest suspension bridge, and took a leading role in creating an organization to reduce traffic delays in the New York-New Jersey region. How did the Port Authority achieve these successes? And what lessons does its history offer to other cities and regions in the United States and beyond? In a time when public agencies are often condemned as inefficient and corrupt, this history should provide some positive lessons for governmental officials and social reformers.In 2021, the Port Authority marked its 100th birthday. Its history reveals a struggle between the public and private sectors, the challenges of balancing democratic accountability and efficiency, and the tension between regional and local needs. From selected Port Authority successes and failures, Philip Mark Plotch and Jen Nelles produce a significant and engaging account of a powerful governmental entity that offers durable lessons on collaboration, leadership, and the challenge of overcoming complex political challenges in modern America.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has morphed in ways that would be unrecognizable to its founders. Its mission evolved from improving rail freight to building motor vehicle crossings, airports, office towers, and industrial parks and taking control of a failing commuter rail line. In its early years, the agency was often viewed with admiration; however as it drew up plans, negotiated to take control of airfields and marine terminals, and constructed large bridges and tunnels, the Port Authority became the object of less favorable attention. It was attacked as a “super-government” that must be reined in, while the mayors of New York and Newark argued that it should be broken up with its pieces given to local governments for their own use.Despite its criticisms and travails, for over half a century the Port Authority overcame hurdles that had frustrated other public and private efforts, built the world's longest suspension bridge, and took a leading role in creating an organization to reduce traffic delays in the New York-New Jersey region. How did the Port Authority achieve these successes? And what lessons does its history offer to other cities and regions in the United States and beyond? In a time when public agencies are often condemned as inefficient and corrupt, this history should provide some positive lessons for governmental officials and social reformers.In 2021, the Port Authority marked its 100th birthday. Its history reveals a struggle between the public and private sectors, the challenges of balancing democratic accountability and efficiency, and the tension between regional and local needs. From selected Port Authority successes and failures, Philip Mark Plotch and Jen Nelles produce a significant and engaging account of a powerful governmental entity that offers durable lessons on collaboration, leadership, and the challenge of overcoming complex political challenges in modern America.

Regions are difficult to govern – coordinating policies across local jurisdictional boundaries in the absence of a formal regional government gives rise to enormous challenges. Yet some degree of coordination is almost always essential for local governments to effectively fulfill their responsibilities to their citizens. State and local governments have, over time, awkwardly, and with much experimenting, developed common approaches to regional governance. In this revolutionary new book, authors David Miller and Jen Nelles offer a new way to conceptualize those common approaches: Regional Intergovernmental Organizations (RIGOs) that bring together local governments to coordinate policies across jurisdictional boundaries.RIGOs are not governments themselves, but as Miller and Nelles demonstrate, they do have a measure of political authority that allows them to quietly and sometimes almost invisibly work to further regional interests and mitigate cross-boundary irritations. Providing a new conceptual framework for understanding how regional decision-making has emerged in the U.S., this book will provoke a new and rich era of discussion about American regionalism in theory and practice. Discovering American Regionalism will be a future classic in the study of intergovernmental relations, regionalism, and cross-boundary collaboration.

Regions are difficult to govern – coordinating policies across local jurisdictional boundaries in the absence of a formal regional government gives rise to enormous challenges. Yet some degree of coordination is almost always essential for local governments to effectively fulfill their responsibilities to their citizens. State and local governments have, over time, awkwardly, and with much experimenting, developed common approaches to regional governance. In this revolutionary new book, authors David Miller and Jen Nelles offer a new way to conceptualize those common approaches: Regional Intergovernmental Organizations (RIGOs) that bring together local governments to coordinate policies across jurisdictional boundaries.RIGOs are not governments themselves, but as Miller and Nelles demonstrate, they do have a measure of political authority that allows them to quietly and sometimes almost invisibly work to further regional interests and mitigate cross-boundary irritations. Providing a new conceptual framework for understanding how regional decision-making has emerged in the U.S., this book will provoke a new and rich era of discussion about American regionalism in theory and practice. Discovering American Regionalism will be a future classic in the study of intergovernmental relations, regionalism, and cross-boundary collaboration.

As the world faces new complex challenges, we need innovations in how public policy can support innovation to unlock economic, societal and technological progress. Bringing together expert contributors from across science, technology, innovation and policy making, this book presents thought leadership pieces that address the question: What does the future of innovation policy look like?Chapters explore new approaches and reimagine innovation policy in ways that drive positive change, highlighting the importance of institutional context and innovation support systems. They provide in-depth coverage of topics such as innovation intermediaries, skills in innovation policy, civil-society involvement, and open, responsible, social and eco-innovation. Authors discuss how to revolutionise modes of collaboration for innovation policymaking, the need to integrate stakeholders’ perspectives, equality, diversity and inclusion for innovation actors, and new methodologies and evaluation techniques in the field.Inspiring forward-thinking about how innovations in innovation policy can enable economic, social, and environmental impact, this book is an essential read for researchers and students in the field of innovation, science and technology policy. Policymakers, industry professionals, business leaders and civil society stakeholders engaged in innovation initiatives will also benefit from the valuable insights offered.

As the world faces new complex challenges, we need innovations in how public policy can support innovation to unlock economic, societal and technological progress. Bringing together expert contributors from across science, technology, innovation and policy making, this book presents thought leadership pieces that address the question: What does the future of innovation policy look like?Chapters explore new approaches and reimagine innovation policy in ways that drive positive change, highlighting the importance of institutional context and innovation support systems. They provide in-depth coverage of topics such as innovation intermediaries, skills in innovation policy, civil-society involvement, and open, responsible, social and eco-innovation. Authors discuss how to revolutionise modes of collaboration for innovation policymaking, the need to integrate stakeholders’ perspectives, equality, diversity and inclusion for innovation actors, and new methodologies and evaluation techniques in the field.Inspiring forward-thinking about how innovations in innovation policy can enable economic, social, and environmental impact, this book is an essential read for researchers and students in the field of innovation, science and technology policy. Policymakers, industry professionals, business leaders and civil society stakeholders engaged in innovation initiatives will also benefit from the valuable insights offered.

How are metropolitan regions governed? What makes some regions more effective than others in managing policies that cross local jurisdictional boundaries? Political coordination among municipal governments is necessary to attract investment, rapid and efficient public transit systems, and to sustain cultural infrastructure in metropolitan regions. In this era of fragmented authority, local governments alone rarely possess the capacity to address these policy issues alone.This book explores the sources and barriers to cooperation and metropolitan policy making. It combines different streams of scholarship on regional governance to explain how and why metropolitan partnerships emerge and flourish in some places and fail to in others. It systematically tests this theory in the Frankfurt and Rhein-Neckar regions of Germany and the Toronto and Waterloo regions in Canada. Discovering that existing theories of metropolitan collective action based on institutions and opportunities are inconsistent, the author proposes a new theory of "civic capital", which argues that civic engagement and leadership at the regional scale can be important catalysts to metropolitan cooperation. The extent to which the actors hold a shared image of the metropolis and engage at that scale strongly influences the degree to which local authorities will be willing and able to coordinate policies for the collective development of the region. Metropolitan Governance and Policy will be of interest to students and scholars of comparative urban and metropolitan governance and sociology.

Much of the coverage surrounding the relationship between Indigenous communities and the Crown in Canada has focused on the federal, provincial, and territorial governments. Yet it is at the local level where some of the most important and significant partnerships are being made between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.In A Quiet Evolution, Christopher Alcantara and Jen Nelles look closely at hundreds of agreements from across Canada and at four case studies drawn from Ontario, Quebec, and Yukon Territory to explore relationships between Indigenous and local governments. By analyzing the various ways in which they work together, the authors provide an original, transferable framework for studying any type of intergovernmental partnership at the local level. Timely and accessible, A Quiet Evolution is a call to politicians, policymakers and citizens alike to encourage Indigenous and local governments to work towards mutually beneficial partnerships.

What does a comparative approach add to our understanding of Canadian municipal government, city governance, and municipal policy-making? Canadian Urban Governance in Comparative Perspective, brings together experts in the field to situate Canada within global debates about the place of municipalities in democratic constitutions and systems of (multilevel) governance.The contributors offer a comprehensive coverage of Canadian municipal government and governance. The book explores the conceptual and institutional foundations of Canadian municipal systems by placing them in a comparative perspective, highlights seminal works by Canadian scholars to show how comparison adds to our understanding of municipal institutions and city governance, and conceptualizes the place of municipal governments in Canada’s multilevel system. It analyzes comparisons of major elements of municipal systems and examines some of the most important urban and global policy challenges of our time, including the politics of growth and development, climate change, immigrant settlement, addressing racism, municipal-Indigenous relations, and tackling poverty and social polarization.Ultimately, the book invites readers to reflect upon and assess the extent to which Canada’s current municipal systems are up to the task of contributing to effective and equitable responses to contemporary urban challenges and to enriching democratic life in Canada.

What does a comparative approach add to our understanding of Canadian municipal government, city governance, and municipal policy-making? Canadian Urban Governance in Comparative Perspective, brings together experts in the field to situate Canada within global debates about the place of municipalities in democratic constitutions and systems of (multilevel) governance.The contributors offer a comprehensive coverage of Canadian municipal government and governance. The book explores the conceptual and institutional foundations of Canadian municipal systems by placing them in a comparative perspective, highlights seminal works by Canadian scholars to show how comparison adds to our understanding of municipal institutions and city governance, and conceptualizes the place of municipal governments in Canada’s multilevel system. It analyzes comparisons of major elements of municipal systems and examines some of the most important urban and global policy challenges of our time, including the politics of growth and development, climate change, immigrant settlement, addressing racism, municipal-Indigenous relations, and tackling poverty and social polarization.Ultimately, the book invites readers to reflect upon and assess the extent to which Canada’s current municipal systems are up to the task of contributing to effective and equitable responses to contemporary urban challenges and to enriching democratic life in Canada.

Much of the coverage surrounding the relationship between Indigenous communities and the Crown in Canada has focused on the federal, provincial, and territorial governments. Yet it is at the local level where some of the most important and significant partnerships are being made between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples.In A Quiet Evolution, Christopher Alcantara and Jen Nelles look closely at hundreds of agreements from across Canada and at four case studies drawn from Ontario, Quebec, and Yukon Territory to explore relationships between Indigenous and local governments. By analyzing the various ways in which they work together, the authors provide an original, transferable framework for studying any type of intergovernmental partnership at the local level. Timely and accessible, A Quiet Evolution is a call to politicians, policymakers and citizens alike to encourage Indigenous and local governments to work towards mutually beneficial partnerships.

Whether waiting for the train or planning the future city, infrastructure orders—and depends on—multiple urban temporalities. This agenda-setting volume disrupts conventional notions of time through a robust examination of the relations between temporality, infrastructure, and urban society. Conceptually rich and empirically detailed, its interdisciplinary dialogue encompasses infrastructural systems including transportation, energy, and water to bridge often-siloed technical, political-economic and lived perspectives.With global coverage of diverse cities and regions from Berlin to Jayapura, this book is an essential provocation to re-evaluate urban theory, politics, and practice and better account for the temporal complexities that shape our infrastructured worlds.