Mark Baldassare – författare

-- Richard Evans Schultes, Botanical Museum of Harvard University

Takes a fresh look at American suburbs, explains why they are changing, and discusses the housing crisis, growth, local government, and demand for services.

The Los Angeles riots in the Spring of 1992 were among the most violent and destructive events in twentieth-century urban America. This collection of original essays by leading urban experts offers the first comprehensive analysis of the unrest that took place after a jury acquitted the police officers who were accused of using excessive force in t

The Los Angeles riots in the Spring of 1992 were among the most violent and destructive events in twentieth-century urban America. This collection of original essays by leading urban experts offers the first comprehensive analysis of the unrest that took place after a jury acquitted the police officers who were accused of using excessive force in t

When Orange County, California, filed for Chapter 9 protection on December 6, 1994, it became the largest municipality in United States history to declare bankruptcy. In the first comprehensive analysis of this momentous fiscal crisis, Mark Baldassare uncovers the many twists and turns from the dark days in December 1994 to the financial recovery of June 1996. Utilizing a wealth of primary materials from the county government and Merrill Lynch, as well as interviews with key officials and players in this drama, Mark Baldassare untangles the causes of this $1.64 billion fiasco. He finds three factors critical to understanding the bankruptcy: one, the political fragmentation of the numerous local governments in the area; two, the fiscal conservatism underlying voters' feelings about their tax dollars; three, the financial austerity in state government and in meeting rising state expenditures. Baldassare finds that these forces help to explain how a county known for its affluence and conservative politics could have allowed its cities' school, water, transportation, and sanitation agencies to be held hostage to this failed investment pool.Meticulously examining the events that led up to the bankruptcy, the local officials' response to the fiscal emergency, and the road to fiscal recovery - as well as the governmental reforms engendered by the crisis - "When Government Fails" is a dramatic and instructive economic morality tale. Eminently readable, it underlines the dangers inherent in a freewheeling bull economy and the imperatives of local and state governments to protect fiscal assets. As Baldassare shows, Orange County need not - and should not - happen again.

What will California look like by the middle of the twenty-first century? Change is occurring in the state at a breathtaking pace. The state will face many extraordinary challenges. Yet today most Californians believe that their elected officials are unable to develop effective public policies. Mark Baldassare examines the powerful undercurrents - economic, demographic, and political - shaping California at this critical juncture in its history. He focuses on three trends that are profoundly affecting the social and political landscape of the state: political distrust, racial and ethnic change, and regional diversity. Baldassare discusses the complexities of this situation and offers a series of substantive recommendations for how California can come to terms with the unprecedented challenges it faces.

Mark Baldassare, one of California's leading public opinion experts, gives an authoritative and highly informative view of the state during its recent years of prosperity and more recent economic insecurity. Based on findings of the most comprehensive public opinion survey in the state, this book examines the beliefs, concerns, and public policy preferences of Californians during the 1990s, focusing in particular on Californians' deep and ongoing distrust of government and the way this distrust has shaped the recent political climate. A California State of Mind combines an incisive analysis of long-term trends--such as population growth and changing demography--with up-to-date discussions of how the recent electricity crisis and the September 11 terrorist attacks have affected residents' distrust of government, making this book a key source for Californians as they consider the future. A joint publication with the Public Policy Institute of California

The Growth Dilemma: Residents' Views and Local Population Change in the United States offers a comprehensive exploration of the social and individual impacts of population shifts across urban, suburban, and nonmetropolitan areas during a transformative period in American history. Drawing on data from national surveys conducted in the 1970s, the book examines residents' perceptions of local growth and decline, revealing the nuanced consequences of these changes on communities and personal well-being. It addresses the "growth dilemma," a term used to describe the challenges communities face when weighing the often unclear benefits and drawbacks of growth versus decline. With a focus on the sociological and practical implications of population patterns, the book delves into controversial questions about policy, land use, and governance while providing evidence-based insights into the effects of demographic changes.Structured to guide readers through both the theoretical and empirical dimensions of population change, The Growth Dilemma includes chapters that review historical trends, analyze survey data, and compare experiences across different community types. The final sections synthesize the findings, discuss their broader implications, and propose forward-looking strategies to address growth-related challenges. Author's reflections on growth controversies in diverse regions of the United States, coupled with rigorous academic research, create a nuanced perspective on this central issue in urban sociology. This book is an essential resource for those interested in understanding the interplay between population dynamics, community experiences, and public policy in shaping modern American life.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1981.

Residential Crowding in Urban America challenges the prevailing mid-1970s orthodoxy that equated human crowding with pathology. Based on research first developed for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and revised from a dissertation at the University of California, Berkeley, the book shifts the study of crowding from speculative laboratory models to sociological analyses rooted in real households and neighborhoods. Using national survey data, the author investigates how household crowding and neighborhood density affect housing satisfaction, family life, social relations, and overall well-being. Rather than treating density as an automatic source of deviance or disorder, the study emphasizes people’s lived experiences of their homes and communities, offering a theoretically grounded framework for understanding crowding as a social problem.Organized into four parts, the book explores methods of studying crowding; household overcrowding, measured as persons per room; neighborhood density, measured as residents per acre; and the connections between crowding, social withdrawal, and claims of pathology. The author concludes that while overcrowding does matter, simplistic assumptions about its effects have obscured more subtle questions of how families adapt, how neighborhoods function, and what conditions truly disrupt social life. By dispelling myths and offering new directions for research, Residential Crowding in Urban America provides essential insight for policymakers, planners, and scholars alike. It situates housing conditions at the center of debates about quality of life, inequality, and urban development, laying the groundwork for future inquiry into how Americans live together in increasingly dense environments.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1979.

The Growth Dilemma: Residents' Views and Local Population Change in the United States offers a comprehensive exploration of the social and individual impacts of population shifts across urban, suburban, and nonmetropolitan areas during a transformative period in American history. Drawing on data from national surveys conducted in the 1970s, the book examines residents' perceptions of local growth and decline, revealing the nuanced consequences of these changes on communities and personal well-being. It addresses the "growth dilemma," a term used to describe the challenges communities face when weighing the often unclear benefits and drawbacks of growth versus decline. With a focus on the sociological and practical implications of population patterns, the book delves into controversial questions about policy, land use, and governance while providing evidence-based insights into the effects of demographic changes.Structured to guide readers through both the theoretical and empirical dimensions of population change, The Growth Dilemma includes chapters that review historical trends, analyze survey data, and compare experiences across different community types. The final sections synthesize the findings, discuss their broader implications, and propose forward-looking strategies to address growth-related challenges. Author's reflections on growth controversies in diverse regions of the United States, coupled with rigorous academic research, create a nuanced perspective on this central issue in urban sociology. This book is an essential resource for those interested in understanding the interplay between population dynamics, community experiences, and public policy in shaping modern American life.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1981.

Residential Crowding in Urban America challenges the prevailing mid-1970s orthodoxy that equated human crowding with pathology. Based on research first developed for the Department of Housing and Urban Development and revised from a dissertation at the University of California, Berkeley, the book shifts the study of crowding from speculative laboratory models to sociological analyses rooted in real households and neighborhoods. Using national survey data, the author investigates how household crowding and neighborhood density affect housing satisfaction, family life, social relations, and overall well-being. Rather than treating density as an automatic source of deviance or disorder, the study emphasizes people’s lived experiences of their homes and communities, offering a theoretically grounded framework for understanding crowding as a social problem.Organized into four parts, the book explores methods of studying crowding; household overcrowding, measured as persons per room; neighborhood density, measured as residents per acre; and the connections between crowding, social withdrawal, and claims of pathology. The author concludes that while overcrowding does matter, simplistic assumptions about its effects have obscured more subtle questions of how families adapt, how neighborhoods function, and what conditions truly disrupt social life. By dispelling myths and offering new directions for research, Residential Crowding in Urban America provides essential insight for policymakers, planners, and scholars alike. It situates housing conditions at the center of debates about quality of life, inequality, and urban development, laying the groundwork for future inquiry into how Americans live together in increasingly dense environments.This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1979.

This book examines the new, hybrid democracy that has been taking shape in California since the historic recall of Gov. Gray Davis and election of former actor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003. During the recall and its aftermath, California has reached unprecedented levels of use of direct democracy, in which public policy decisions are made by voters at the ballot box, rather than by elected representatives in the legislature. Driven by Californians' long-standing populism and distrust of government, a new form of governance is emerging: one that seeks to avoid the pitfalls of party politics and influence by special interest groups that plague representative democracy, by increasing the role of voters at the ballot box. This book analyzes the hybrid democracy that has developed under Gov. Schwarzenegger, and how his leadership has encouraged its growth. Using the Public Policy Institute of California Statewide Surveys, which include interviews with more than 150,000 Californians, the authors detail the transformation in the state's political climate and the public attitudes behind this change. The authors conclude that this transformation will likely take place in other states, perhaps even nationwide, and offer recommendations for ways to improve policymaking in a hybrid democracy.