Governing Ourselves?: The Politics of Canadian Communities

Joseph Garcea is a professor of political Studies at the University of
Saskatchewan.

Governing Ourselves? provides an interesting and important assessment of
municipal governance systems and trends in Canada. The author, who
adopts a systems and liberal political economy approach in probing the
question posed in the book’s title, concludes that the authority and
autonomy of local communities and their municipal governments have been
circumscribed by a complex set of factors and forces that exist at
international, national, provincial, and local levels.

The book consists of five major parts. Part 1 examines the nature and
scope of local democracy, including the opportunities and limits of
public participation. Part 2 considers the evolution of relations
between municipal governments and both their respective provincial
governments and the federal government in their efforts to maximize
their authority and financial resources in order to respond to the
preferences and pressures of their residents and ratepayers. Part 3
explores the ways in which municipal governments are attempting to
grapple with the increasingly complex world of urban and land-use
planning and environmental management in their efforts to achieve
sustainable development. Part 4 looks at the influence of business on
the organization, policies, and management of municipal governments.
Part 5 discusses the interface between local governments and various
existing and emerging information technologies and communication systems
and strategies.

This well-organized, thought-provoking, and jargon-free book addresses
several important themes in local governance and provides some
interesting examples from various jurisdictions across Canada.
Recommended for students and practitioners of municipal governance, as
well as for residents and ratepayers who want to have a better
understanding of the nature of the local planning and politics that
affect them on a daily basis.