Immigration and Local Urban Participatory Democracy: A Boston-Paris Comparison

Arbeitspapier

This paper deals with a comparison of two governmental initiatives in the direction of immigrants – the Mayor's Office of New Bostonians (Boston, 1998) and Conseil de la Citoyenneté des Parisiens Non-Communautaires (Paris, 2001). In both cities, local political leaders justify their politics by referring to “participatory democracy” as a way to facilitate the inclusion of immigrants into city policy-making. Beyond this rhetorical convergence, we find crucial divergences about these politicians' respective actual goals and method of functioning : the experience is relatively positive in Boston, whereas the Parisian one is a patent failure. We can underline these differences notably by advancing the following hypothesis: MONB, as a city department, has managed to build a partnership with civil society, particularly with ethnic grassroots organisations, whereas in Paris, the Socialist Party's top-down CCPNC - a consultative council - is part of a political communication that is destined to its Green political allies and to public opinion at large.

Object Details

• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Series: Nota di Lavoro ; No. 35.2004

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Wirtschaft ; Cultural Economics; Economic Sociology; Economic Anthropology: General
• Subject: Urban politics ; Immigration ; USA/France

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Geistige Schöpfung
• (who): Chaib, Linda
• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (who): Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM)
• (where): Milano
• (when): 2004

Further information

• Handle: http://hdl.handle.net/10419/117916
• Last update: 10.03.2025, 11:41 AM CET