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

(1)

181 REVIEWS

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

5HYLHZHU3LRWU3LĊWD1LFRODXV&RSHUQLFXV8QLYHUVLW\7RUXĔ3RODQG

%HQMDPLQ5%DUEHULVDQ$PHULFDQSROLWLFDOSKLORVRSKHUDQGWKHRULVW 0RUHRYHUKHLVDOVRNQRZQDVDIRUPHUSROLWLFDODGYLVRURIVXFKSROLWLFLDQV DV%LOO&OLQWRQDQG+RZDUG'HDQ+HLVDOVRDQDXWKRURIDYHU\SRSXODUDQG VXEVWDQWLDOERRNHQWLWOHGJihad vs. McWorld. In his last book If Mayors Ruled The World: Dysfunctional Nations, Rising Cities he makes an interesting GLDJQRVLVRIWKHFRQGLWLRQRIQDWLRQVWDWHVLQWKHFXUUHQWFHQWXU\*OREDOLVVXHV UHPDLQXQVROYHGIRUH[DPSOHWHUURULVPSRYHUW\FOLPDWHFKDQJHWUD൶FNLQJ RIGUXJVJXQVDQGSHRSOH,QWHUQDWLRQDORUJDQL]DWLRQVDQGLWVVWDWHVDUHLQHI IHFWLYHDQGG\VIXQFWLRQDOLQWKHIDFHRIWKHVHFKDOOHQJHV,QWKHUHYLHZHGERRN %%DUEHUFRQYLQFHVWKDWWKHEHVWVROXWLRQRIWKLVVLWXDWLRQVDUHFLWLHVDQGWKHLU SUDJPDWLFDQGFUHDWLYHPD\RUV6WDWHUHSUHVHQWDWLYHVWDNHSDUWLQLGHRORJLFDO GHEDWHVZKLFKDUHXQVDWLVIDFWRU\$WWKHVDPHWLPHPD\RUVUHSDLUURDGVEXLOG SDUNVDQGVTXDUHVWDNHFDUHRIHQYLURQPHQWDQGH[FKDQJHH[SHULHQFHVGXULQJ the international meetings.

7KHUHYLHZHGERRNKDVDVSHFL¿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

(2)

182

IRUPDOL]HWKHVHUHODWLRQV7KLVSRVWXODWHVHHPVWREHXQFOHDUEHFDXVHLQWKH WKFKDSWHUWKHDXWKRUGHVFULEHVWKDWIRUPDOL]DWLRQPD\EHGHVWUXFWLYHIRUIUHH DQGYROXQWDU\IRUPRIFRRSHUDWLRQS*HQHUDOO\WKHFRRSHUDWLRQEHWZHHQ WKHFLWLHVZKLFKLVVWURQJO\VWUHVVHGE\WKHDXWKRULQVRPHFDVHVLVSRVVLEOH )RUH[DPSOHWKHVRFDOOHGWZLQWRZQRUVLVWHUFLWLHVXVXDOO\KDYHRQO\IRUPDO DVSHFWV+RZHYHULWLVUDWKHUDQH[FHSWLRQ%%DUEHUFOHDUO\GHVFULEHVLQKLV GHWDLOHGDQDO\VLVRILQWHUQDWLRQDOFRRSHUDWLRQRIFLWLHVWKDWLQPDQ\FDVHVLWLVD YHU\H൵HFWLYHSDUWQHUVKLS*OREDOSDUOLDPHQWRIPD\RUVWKHPDLQLGHDRIWKH UHYLHZHGERRNFRQVLVWVRIPDQ\LQWHUHVWLQJDQGGHEDWDEOHSRLQWV0RUHRYHU VRPHLVVXHVZKLFKDUHRPLWWHGPD\DOVRLQVSLUHWKHGLVFXVVLRQ)RUH[DPSOH WKHUROHRIWKHYLOODJHVLVPDUJLQDOL]HGLQWKLVERRN7KHDXWKRURQO\LQIRUPVWKDW WKHYLOODJHVKRXOGEHLQFOXGHGLQWRPHWURSROLWDQUHJLRQVS

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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൶FXOW)LUVWRIDOOLWLVKDUGWREHOLHYH

(3)

Reviews

183

WKDWWKHPD\RUVZLOOEHUHDG\WRUHVLJQIURPWKHLUSDUWLFXODULQWHUHVWVDQGQRQH RIWKHPZLOOKDYHDVSLUDWLRQVWREHWKHDOHDGHURIWKHSDUOLDPHQW%%DUEHU DOVRFODLPVWKDWDVWURQJIHDWXUHRIPD\RUVLVWKHIDFWWKDWWKH\GRQ¶WDWWDFK LPSRUWDQFHWRVRYHUHLJQW\DQGQDWLRQDOLGHQWLW\+RZHYHULWLVQRWVRREYLRXV LILQWKHUHDOJOREDOSDUOLDPHQWRIPD\RUVWKH\ZRXOGEHKDYHLQWKHVDPHZD\ 7KHSURFHVVRIUHPRYLQJWKHQDWLRQDOLGHQWLW\ZLOOEHYHU\ORQJRUMXVWLPSRV VLEOHWRUHDOL]H3UREDEO\WKHVRFLHWLHVZLOOUHDFWYHU\TXLFNO\EHFDXVHLWLVD YHU\EROGDQGFRQWUDGLFWRU\LGHDWRFRQYHQWLRQDOEHOLHIVDQGUXOHV 7KHUHYLHZHGERRNKDVPDQ\LQWHUHVWLQJWKUHDGVZKLFKLQVSLUHDGLVFXV VLRQ3UHVHQWHGGLDJQRVLVRIFXUUHQWH൵HFWLYHQHVVRIVWDWHVDWWKHLQWHUQDWLRQDO OHYHOLVYHU\FRQYLQFLQJDQGDFFXUDWHLIZHWDNHLQWRDFFRXQWDORWRILVVXHV ZKLFKUHPDLQXQVROYHGIRUPDQ\\HDUV6RPHRIWKHVHPDWWHUVZHUHPHQWLRQHG E\WKHDXWKRUIRUH[DPSOHWHUURULVPSRYHUW\FOLPDWHFKDQJHWUD൶FNLQJRI GUXJVJXQVDQGSHRSOH0RUHRYHULQWKHODVW\HDUVZHFRXOGREVHUYHVRPHQHZ LVVXHVHVSHFLDOO\LQ(XURSHVXFKDVWKHPLJUDQWFULVLVDQGWKH¿QDQFLDOFULVLV At the same time various types of international entities of cities try to take care RIWKHVHPDWWHUV'HVSLWHWKDWVRPHIDFWVLQWKHUHYLHZHGERRNDUHLQWHUSUHWHG WRRJHQHUDOWKHPDLQFRQFHSWLVLQWHUHVWLQJ,PSRUWDQWYDOXHRIWKHUHYLHZHG ERRNLVWKHIDFWWKDWLWVFRQWHQWVFHUWDLQO\LQLWLDWHPDQ\GLVFXVVLRQVHVSHFLDOO\ DERXWWKHFXUUHQWFRQGLWLRQRIWKHQDWLRQVWDWHVDQGDULVLQJUROHRIWKHFLWLHV