{"product_id":"the-voluntary-city-choice-community-and-civil-society-9781598130324","title":"The Voluntary City: Choice  Community  and Civil Society","description":"\u003cp\u003eAssembling a rich history and analysis of large-scale  private and voluntary  community-based provision of social services  urban infrastructure  and community governance  this book provides suggestions on how to restore the vitality of city life.  Historically  the city was considered a center of commerce  knowledge and culture  a haven for safety and a place of opportunity. Today  however  cities are widely viewed as centers for crime  homelessness  poverty  unemployment  traffic  pollution  and other social ills. In many cities  government increasingly dominates life  consuming vast resources to cater to special interest groups. Decision-making has become intensely politicized  bureaucratic  and largely unaccountable to the populace.  The Voluntary City provides a rich history and analysis of private  locally based provision of social services  urban infrastructure  and community governance. Such systems have offered superior education  transportation  housing  crime control  recreation  health care  and employment by being more effective  innovative  and responsive than those provided through special interest politics and bureaucracy.  The Voluntary City reveals how the process of providing local public goods through the dynamism of freely competitive  market-based entrepreneurship is unmatched in renewing communities and strengthening the bonds of civil society.  A refreshing challenge to the orthodoxy that government alone can improve community life  The Voluntary City will be an essential reference for anyone interested in the future of cities  including scholars and students  policy-makers  civic and business leaders  and urban citizens.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45648175988789,"sku":"ByrdShop_1598130323","price":21.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781598130324.jpg?v=1781711737","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-voluntary-city-choice-community-and-civil-society-9781598130324","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}