No Contest: Participatory Technologies and the Transformation of Urban Authority

Small‐p politics: how pleasurable, convivial and pragmatic political ideals influence engagement in eat‐local initiatives

“…Finally, we observe that while Skocpol () noted a within‐organization tendency for professional staff to adopt non‐partisan discourse, we see this narrative style adopted by representatives of both professional and volunteer‐based organizations located in the state, market and non‐profit sector. Participants credit this discourse with creating productive alliances; echoing McQuarrie (), we caution that the alliances forged with elites in eat‐local initiatives are likely sustained by not upsetting the existing balance of power. In sum, the small‐p politics model can be credited with many tangible achievements, but can also stymie other more systemic reforms by eschewing contentious framing of issues and focusing on winnable problems.…”

“…Looking first to process‐based critiques, scholars have noted that apparently ‘democratic’ participation may be a co‐opted site that maintains elite domination. McQuarrie's () case study of community‐based organizations in Cleveland, Ohio, for example, examines an instance where engaged citizens endorsed recommendations that led to more income inequality. Amidst escalating rates of foreclosures and a declining economy, a panel of community members appointed by the local government recommended raising taxes on lower‐income residents and lowering corporate taxes.…”

“…Sociological literature on civic life and democracy has wrestled with defining, conceptualizing and situating political activity that take place in relatively private spaces (Goldfarb ) or in the marketplace (Barnett, Cloke, Clarke and Malpass ; Haenfler, Johnson and Jones ; Micheletti ) and therefore offers a useful starting place to makes sense of current trends in civic engagement. Some observers of these non‐traditional forms of politics claim that participants are not engaged in collective action (McQuarrie ; Szasz ). Others point out that since day‐to‐day acts can provide a foundation for more substantial political reforms to take place when adopted collectively, non‐traditional politics can coalesce into a sort of ‘individualized collective action’ that is an important part of a repertoire of broader social change (Barnett et al ; Micheletti : 12; Willis and Schor ; Yates ).…”

Claiming a role for controversies in the framing of local heritage values

“…Some scholars argue that participation remains associated with democratization and that participatory heritage practice depends upon the characteristics and negotiation processes of local contexts and that it is "articulated with shifting configurations of local governmentality" (Beeksma & Cesari, 2018: 6). Thus, participation produces different effects and request a pre-determination about what types of participation are desirable and what effects are valued (McQuarrie, 2013).…”

Participatory Practices in Organizations

“…A central theme in this new literature involves the disconnection of the political equality participation may afford from the enhanced social and economic equality that were previously assumed to accompany it (Walker, McQuarrie, and Lee ). Pacewicz () and McQuarrie () investigate the restructuring of urban participation into new, less empowering forms by partnerships and community development organizations at a time of panic about capital flight and urban decline. Lee, McNulty, and Shaffer (2013) study deliberative democracy initiatives sponsored by governments, corporations, and non‐profits and find that, while they deepen the involvement of citizens in decision‐making, those decisions are likely to be aimed at individualized methods for ameliorating the pain of retrenchment and downsizing.…”