Globalization, Urbanization, and Ethnicity (Major public conference)
December 3rd and 4th, 2009
Crowne Plaza, Ottawa Ontario, Canada

With more than half the human race living in cities for the first time in history, and with the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural character of all major cities increasing rapidly, clearly thought out development of cities is one of the most crucial factors for economic growth, social cohesion and democratic governance world-wide. Yet cities are also the major focus of ethnic conflict and inter-group confrontation. How can we govern cities in ways that maintain social cohesion and draw on the assets of all cultural/ethnic groups in times of increasing diversity?

• Committee members:
  • Abbie Bakan (Queen's University)
  • Bruce Berman (Queen's University)
  • Kristin Good (Dalhousie University)
  • Will Kymlicka (Queen's University)
  • David McDonald (Queen’s University)
  • Erin Tolley (Queen's University)
  • Phil Triadafilopoulos (University of Toronto)
  • Luc Turgeon (University of Ottawa)

   

All sessions will be held in the Pinnacle room unless otherwise indicated.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

7:45 - 8:30 AM Continental breakfast (Foyer)

8:30 - 9:00 am Registration opens

9:00 - 9:20 am Welcome and introductions

Keynote lecture
Urbanization and Socio-Economic Diversity: The Governance of Local Services
Richard Stren, Cities Centre,
University of Toronto

9:15 - 10:30 AM (1.25 hour)

Richard Stren is Emeritus Professor of Political Science and the former Director of the Centre for Urban and Community Studies at the University of Toronto. He has a bachelor’s degree in economics and political science from the University of Toronto, and an M.A. and Ph.D in political science from the University of California at Berkeley. He has carried out research in many African cities since the 1960s – Mombasa and Nairobi in Kenya, Dar es Salaam in Tanzania, Makurdi in Nigeria, Abidjan in Cote d’Ivoire. In the early 1970s he served as chief planning officer to the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development of the Government of Tanzania. In the 1980s, he was the coordinator of a major project (supported by the IDRC) to study the crisis in urban infrastructure in Africa, and during the 1990s he coordinated (with Patricia McCarney) a world-wide network of researchers and policy makers (called the Global Urban Research Initiative, under the auspices of the Ford Foundation’s Urban Poverty Program) looking at research on urban policy questions in Asia, Africa and Latin America. He has written or edited eighteen books on urban subjects in the developing world, and over 50 refereed articles and chapters in books. Among his most recent books are (coedited with Mila Freire) The Challenge of Urban Government. Policies and Practices (World Bank: 2001), and (with Janice Stein) Networks of Knowledge: Collaborative Innovation in International Learning (University of Toronto Press: 2001). With Patricia McCarney, he has edited Governance on the Ground: Innovations and Discontinuities in Cities in the Developing World (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003); and with Dickson Eyoh he has edited Decentralization and the Politics of Urban Development in West Africa (Washington: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars). He was one of two senior co-editors of the landmark volume, Cities Transformed: Demographic Change and Its Implications in the Developing World (Washington: National Academies Press, 2003). With a SSHRCC grant, he is currently researching urban participatory innovations in Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Cote d’Ivoire and India.

Professor Stren’s professional consultancies include the Rockefeller Foundation in the late 1960s on tourism on the Coast of Kenya, the IDRC in 1981 (establishing a research program in West Africa for the IDRC), the World Bank in 1982 (establishing a feasibility profile for an urban infrastructure program in Nigeria), and, in the 1990s and current decade, UNDP, UNCHS, IDRC, USAID, the Mellon Foundation and the World Bank. In 1996 he was team leader of an IDRC mission to South Africa to develop an urban policy document for the country. This was published in 1997 as the Urban Development Framework of the Ministry of Housing, Government of South Africa. In April, 2002 he was a keynote speaker at the UN Habitat “Urban Forum” in Nairobi, delivering a paper on “Our Newest Decentralization: Can We Sustain It?” In 2005 he was the lead consultant in a Swedish SIDA project to design and construct a world-wide network of agencies and institutes supporting improved access to land by the urban poor. In 2007-9 he worked with the World Bank Institute to design a manual on participatory urban governance for Bank task team leaders who develop new urban projects. In 2009 he worked with the World Bank to write part of the Bank’s strategy for African urban development.

10:30 - 11:00 am Coffee break (Foyer)

Roundtable
Suburbanization of Immigrant Settlement in Metropolitan Areas
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM (1.5 hours)

Many immigrants are by-passing urban cores and settling directly in suburbs. These settlement processes reflect development and growth patterns in dynamic metropolitan areas as well as shape them. New terms such as "ethnoburb" and "twenty-first century gateways" have developed to conceptualize these new spatial configurations. Though immigration is changing the spatial dimensions of city life in profound ways, we know very little about the social, political and economic implications of these "new" forms of settlement.

David Ley, University of British Columbia
David Hulchanski, Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto
Wei Li, School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, Arizona State University
Lorrie Frasure, Department of Political Science, UCLA
Moderator: Keith Banting, School of Policy Studies, Queen's University

Keynote lunch
Who Belongs?: Inclusion, Discrimination, and Responses to the Crash of 2008 in Western Democracies
Jennifer Hochschild (Harvard University)
co-editor of Bringing Outsiders In: Transatlantic Perspectives On Immigrant Political Incorporation

12:30 - 2:30 PM (2 hours)

Jennifer Hochschild is the Henry LaBarre Jayne Professor of Government, Professor of African and African-American Studies, and Harvard College Professor, at Harvard University. She holds lectureships in the Harvard Kennedy School and the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She studies the intersection of American politics and political philosophy, particularly racial and ethnic politics and policy, immigration, educational and social policy, and public opinion or political culture. Her most recent books are Bringing Outsiders In: Trans-Atlantic Perspectives on Immigrant Political Incorporation (2009,co-edited); The American Dream and the Public Schools (2003, co-authored); and Facing Up to the American Dream: Race, Class, and the Soul of the Nation (1995). Current projects address the blurring of racial boundaries in the United States, the role of factual knowledge in citizens’ political views, and the relationship between immigration laws and the practices of political (non)incorporation of immigrants. Hochschild was the founding editor of Perspectives on Politics, and has been a member of the Board of Trustees of Russell Sage Foundation and the Board of Overseers of General Social Survey.

Panel
Immigration in Linguistically Divided Cities
2:30 AM – 4:00 PM (1.5 hours)

The process of international migration has been an important challenge of urban governance, especially in cities where it has the potential to upset the fragile balance between entrenched linguistic groups. The panel explores the question of linguistic diversity from a cross-national comparative perspective and with a particular focus on the politics and governance of immigration in linguistically bifurcated places. This panel will tackle the following questions: To what extent does the growing presence of immigrants accentuate or attenuate long entrenched linguistic conflicts? To what extent and how have local institutions as well as urban policies responded to the growing presence of immigrants? To what extent have immigrant communities been able to play an active role in city politics in linguistically divided cities? What are the challenges of immigrant incorporation (political, social and economic) in linguistically divided cities? Do best practices emerge from a comparative examination of the politics and governance of immigration in linguistically divided cities?

Dirk Jacobs, Institut de Sociologie, ULB, Belgium
Annick Germain, Centre Urbanisation, Culture Société, INRS
Ricard Moren-Alegret, Departament de Geografia, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain
Discussant: Martin Papillon, School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa
Chair: André Lecours, School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa

4:00 - 4:30 PM Coffee break (Foyer)

Roundtable
Diverse Faces in Political Spaces: Immigrants, Minorities and Aboriginals as Political Actors
4:30 PM – 6:00 PM (1.5 hours)

Integration can be measured in a number of ways, but one of the ultimate indicators is the participation of traditionally marginalized communities in politics. Involvement in the civic life of one’s community and country is a marker of substantive and symbolic inclusion that not only provides immigrants, minorities and Aboriginals with a voice in the decisions that affect them, but also lends legitimacy to public institutions. Indeed, when policy ignores the perspectives of entire segments of the population, it almost always falls short. Although many immigrants, minorities and Aboriginals are actively engaged in their communities, the political integration of others has fallen short. A better understanding of the patterns of political participation allows us not only to assess the barriers that impede civic engagement, but to target initiatives at the areas where policy and action will achieve the best results.

This roundtable will include participants who have examined the inclusion of diverse communities in the political arena. It will look at electoral and non-electoral forms of representation including voting rights, running for public office and voluntarism, on the importation of political attitudes and traditions, and on the initiatives that have or could be adopted to strengthen the engagement of immigrants, minorities and Aboriginals in political life.

Antoine Bilodeau, Dept of Political Science, Concordia University
Karthick Ramakrishnan, Department of Political Science, University of California
Caroline Andrew, School of Political Studies, University of Ottawa
Leslie Seidle, IRPP and Forum of Federations
Miriam Lapp, Policy, Planning and Public Affairs, Elections Canada
Moderator: Kristin Good, Dalhousie University

7:00 PM Conference Dinner

Friday, December 4, 2009

7:45 - 8:30 AM Continental breakfast (Foyer)

Roundtable
Street-level Bureaucracy: Top-down Versus Bottom-up Policy-making
8:30 AM – 10:00 AM (1.5 hours)

It was nearly three decades ago that Michael Lipsky coined the term "street-level bureaucrat," and yet it remains an important concept in debates about policy development and implementation. In his seminal work, Lipsky argued that policy is not necessarily made by high-level administrators and elected officials, but rather by ground-level staff, including police officers, municipal staff, public health nurses, and service-providers who are relatively autonomous and thus able to exercise discretion and develop solutions in the face of resource shortages, pressing needs or imprecise policy guidelines. This is particularly important in communities with diverse populations where policy directives and legislation may not have kept pace with changing demographics. Indeed, street-level bureaucrats have a close connection to the clients they serve and are thus able to address policy gaps in a way that is responsive to community needs. Street-level bureaucracy raises questions, however, about accountability, the effects (and ethics) of uneven policy implementation, and the potential for partiality and discrimination.

This roundtable will bring together professionals involved in the implementation of policy at street-level to discuss the potential for productive outcomes and also the risks. Participants will share best practices, lessons learned and thoughts on the areas in which street-level bureaucracy offers benefits as well as potential harms.

Isobel Anderson, Ottawa Police Service
Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, Manager, Diversity Management and Community Engagement, City of Toronto Manager's Office
Patrick Tobin, Director, Citizen Participation, Dept of Canadian Heritage
Deborah Tunis, director general, Integration branch, Citizenship & Immigration Canada
Moderator: Peter Eisinger, Milano School for Management and Urban Policy, New School

10:00 - 10:30 AM Coffee break (Foyer)

Panel
Comparative perspectives on the management of multinational cities
10:30 AM – 12:00 PM (1.5 hours)

This panel will explore the urban roots of conflicts in multinational and multireligious states. What political and institutional mechanisms have been set up to manage ethno-linguistic and ethno-religious conflict in cities? Can one identify factors that contribute to an accentuation or attenuation of tensions in these cities? What have been the causes of change in institutional settlements? What has been the impact of this multinational diversity on the practice of urban politics? Can urban policies and institutions contribute to country-level goals of ethnic stability?

Scott Bollens, Department of Planning, Policy, and Design, University of California, Irvine
"Managing Multicultural Cities in Divided Countries"
Liam Anderson, Department of Political Science, Wright State University
"Power-Sharing in Kirkuk: Conflict or Compromise"?
Michael Molloy, Co- Director, Jerusalem Old City Initiative, University of Windsor and Senior Fellow, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Ottawa
"The Jerusalem Old City Initiative"
Discussant: John McGarry, Queen's University
Chair: Luc Turgeon, University of Ottawa

Keynote lunch
Immigration, Social Cohesion and Democratic Voice: Rethinking Political Incorporation
Lunch with Susan E. Clarke (University of Colorado at Boulder)
co-editor of Multiethnic Moments: The Politics of Urban Education Reform

12:00 - 2:00 PM (2 hours)

Susan E. Clarke is Professor of Political Science at the University of Colorado at Boulder and Director of the Center to Advance Social Science Research and Teaching (CARTSS), a campus-wide interdisciplinary center. Her research and teaching interests center on public policy and urban politics and policy, particularly issues of globalization and local democracy. Her publications include The Work of Cities (with Gary Gaile: Minnesota, 1998) on local economic development strategies, a co-authored book on Multiethnic Moments: The Politics of Urban Education Reform (Temple University Press, 2006) and numerous journal articles. She is Editor (with Michael Pagano) of Urban Affairs Review.

Panel
Social Cohesion in Comparative Perspective: Divergent Approaches, Diverse Outcomes
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM (1.5 hours)

As countries have become increasingly diverse, questions have arisen about the effects of pluralism on “social cohesion.” Research by Robert Putnam suggests that diversity erodes trust, decreases social capital and causes a general civic malaise. Although diversity does not necessarily generate social conflict, it may impede the formation of bonds. People, in effect, “hunker down.” Meanwhile, research by Richard Florida suggests that diversity actually spurs creativity, which is good for cities and economic development. These findings are somewhat paradoxical and give rise to a range of opposing policy directions, which is evident in the social cohesion landscape. A comparative analysis suggests divergent approaches, conceptual frameworks, and indicators as well as discourse that ranges from critique to celebration. These are important from a policy perspective, where abstract concepts must be operationalized and implemented according to national, regional and local contexts.

This panel will provide a comparative perspective on social cohesion, addressing the definition and conceptualization of social cohesion, the principle critiques of – and challenges to – social cohesion, and the kinds of policies that have been implemented in the name of social cohesion.

Jocelyn Maclure, Faculty of Philosophy, Laval University
Phil Triadafilopoulos, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto
Mike Samers, Department of Geography, University of Kentucky
Discussant: Ümit Kiziltan, acting Director General, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Branch, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Chair: Jean Kunz, Policy Research Initiative

3:30 - 4:00 PM Coffee break (Foyer)

Roundtable
Globalization, Migration and Ethnicity in the Cities of the Global South
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM (1.5 hours)

Classical urban research on modernization and development has assumed that, because of their more intense encounters with (western) modernity and cosmopolitanism, the growth of cities in the Global South would dampen the allure of ethnicity as political identity. In reality, urbanization has been and remains a major incubator of new forms of ethnicity; cities are key sites in the valorization of ethnic identities and rise of ethnic consciousness and conflict.

While patterns vary across countries the urbanization trend continues. The least urbanized continent, Africa, for instance, is currently experiencing the fastest rate of urbanization amongst world regions, with recent economic and political turbulence across the continent lending intensity and complexity to migration patterns. In Africa, as throughout the Global South, cities remain the choice destination of migrants in search of more promising opportunities, even as the prospects of realizing these opportunities appear ever bleaker for the vast majority.

This flow of populations towards cities is intensified and complicated by the highly uneven impact of economic globalization -- involving the closer integration of some regions with international networks of production and trade, and the increasing marginalization and decay of others. (Cities of Asia, Africa, the Middle East and South America are the site of some of the most rapid processes of rural-urban migration and the runaway growth of slums in human history, housing increasingly ethnically diverse and impoverished populations.) These processes of economic globalization (and in some cases such as Africa, further neoliberal adjustment policies intended to mitigate economic hardships) have engendered significant rearrangements of relations between states and citizens, spurring multifaceted struggles over economic and political rights. Ethnic mobilization has become an integral component of the new contests over economic and political rights, with cities as the leading theatres of these contests.

Dickson Eyoh, Department of Political Science, University of Toronto
Jaideep Gupte, Urban Design Research Institute, Mumbai and the University of Oxford
David McDonald, Global Development Studies, Queen's University
Moderator: Richard Stren, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto