Benjamin R. Barber, If Mayors Ruled The World: Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities, Warszawskie Wydawnictwo Literackie Muza SA, Warszawa 2014, pp. 480.

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181 REVIEWS

Benjamin R. Barber, If Mayors Ruled The World: Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities, Warszawskie Wydawnictwo Literackie Muza SA, Warszawa 2014, pp. 480.

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The author prefers cities because he claims that they solve a lot of LPSRUWDQWSUREOHPVPXFKEHWWHUDQGWKH\DOVRLPSOHPHQWSUDFWLFDOVROXWLRQLQ GL൵HUHQWDUHDV7KHFLWLHVDUHDOVRPRUHH൵HFWLYHLQVRPHDUHDVZKHUHVWDWHV ORVH%%DUEHUFRQYLQFHVWKDWWKHVWDWHLVDQDUFKDLFRUJDQL]DWLRQZKLFKFDQQRW EHSURGXFWLYH¿UVWRIDOOEHFDXVHRIVRYHUHLJQW\*HQHUDOO\%%DUEHULVULJKW if we take into account that in the course of many meetings states cannot come WRDQDJUHHPHQWDQGWKHLUUHVXOWVDUHRIWHQXQVDWLVIDFWRU\%XWRQWKHRWKHUKDQG ZHVKRXOGUHPHPEHUWKDWWKHVWDWHLVde facto complementary to cities in many DVSHFWV)RUH[DPSOHVWDWHVDUHUHVSRQVLEOHIRUVXFKDUHDVDVMXULVGLFWLRQOHJLV ODWLRQRUDUP\6WDWHVDUHDOVRUHVSRQVLEOHIRUPDQ\DJUHHPHQWVZKLFKFUHDWH FRQGLWLRQVIRULQWHUQDWLRQDOFRRSHUDWLRQEHWZHHQWKHFLWLHV0RUHRYHULQIDFWWKH FLW\KDVWKHVDPHSUREOHPDWLFLVVXHVDVWKHVWDWHIRUH[DPSOHSRYHUW\XQHP SOR\PHQWDQGVRFLDOLQHTXDOLWLHV7KHDXWKRUDOVRVXJJHVWVWKDWFLWLHVDFKLHYH DVVXPSWLRQVRIGHPRFUDF\PXFKEHWWHUWKDQVWDWHV2QHRIWKHPRVWSRSXODUDQG VXFFHVVIXODFKLHYHPHQWLQWKLVDUHDLVZLWKRXWDGRXEWSDUWLFLSDWRU\EXGJHWLQJ S+RZHYHULWVKRXOGEHDOVRQRWHGWKDWW\SLFDOSUREOHPIRUPDQ\ORFDO GHPRFUDFLHVZKLFKLVVWLOOXQVROYHGLVORZWXUQRXWLQORFDOHOHFWLRQV0RUHRYHU %%DUEHULQKLVJHQHUDOGHVFULSWLRQRIWKHSRWHQWLDORIFLWLHVRYHUYDOXHVWKHLU FDSDFLW\WRPDNHWKHODZ+HFODLPVWKDWWKHFLWLHVKDYHSRVVLELOLWLHVWRGHFLGH LQVXFKDUHDVDVSXEOLFKHDOWKLPPLJUDWLRQLVVXHVRUDFFHVVWRZHDSRQS ,QDFHUWDLQVHQVHWKHDXWKRULVULJKWEHFDXVHFLWLHVLQWKH8QLWHG6WDWHVXVXDOO\ KDYHSRVVLELOLWLHVWRPDNHWKHODZLQWKHVHPDWWHUV,WGHSHQGVRQOHJLVODWLRQLQ HDFKFRXQWU\DQGPRVWFLWLHVUDWKHUKDYHQRSRVVLELOLWLHVWRFRQWUROWKHVHLVVXHV %DUEHULQKLVFRQFHSWDOVRSURSRVHVSDUWLFXODUUXOHVZKLFKVKRXOGEHWKH EDVLVRIJOREDOSDUOLDPHQWRIPD\RUV$FFRUGLQJWRKLVLGHDOLVWHQLQJVKRXOGEH PRUHLPSRUWDQWWKDQVSHDNLQJDQGLQMXQFWLRQVVKRXOGEHUHSODFHGE\YROXQWDU\ WDNLQJVHOHFWLYHVROXWLRQVZKLFKDUHVXLWDEOHIRUHDFKFLW\S+RZHYHU DYRLGLQJVRPHVLWXDWLRQVPLJKWEHYHU\GL൶FXOW)LUVWRIDOOLWLVKDUGWREHOLHYH

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