Topics in American Politics: Globalization, Urbanization, and the Environment

Topics in American Politics: Globalization, Urbanization, and the Environment

• Professor Krummenacher
• The rapid spread of urbanization has profound consequences for environmental quality–some positive, some negative. As the world economy continues to integrate across traditional political boundaries, such growth in urban areas is likely to continue. This course explores the causes and consequences of urbanization on environmental health and how local environmental conditions may facilitate the growth of modern mega-cities. Among the topics addressed are the effects of demographic changes on rural communities as younger generations seek better economic opportunity in far away cities; the benefits to environmental quality from an expanding middle class; and the robustness of traditional institutions to changing political-economic demands.