GCI Working Paper Series - International Development
 Prague, Tourism and the Post-Industrial City
Lily M. Hoffman and Jiri Musil
May 2009
GCP-09-05
Although urban tourism has been one of the important forces shaping cities during the past few decades, most studies on the transition from the industrial to the post-industrial city focus on the shift to financial and professional services. There are still few studies of the role of tourism in the transformation of urban political economy, social structure and culture (Hoffman, Fainstein, Judd, Cities and Visitors, Blackwell 2003). In an earlier article on post-communist Prague, we examined the emergence of tourism as a byproduct of democratization and marketization (Hoffman and Musil in The Tourist City, Judd & Fainstein (eds) Yale U Press 1999). This present article takes a broader more contextual view of the role of tourism in the development of contemporary Prague. Looking beyond tourism per se, we argue that the exponential growth of tourism in post 1989 Prague helps explain its relatively smooth (and rapid) transition from industrial to post-industrial or service center city. The specifics of this case address some of the lacunae in the discussion of transition from industrialization. First, much of the “de-industrialization” literature refers primarily to industrial cities. Many cities however, are mixed. Second, there is little or no discussion of the role of tourism in the transition. Third, where tourism is discussed, it is usually, as an urban development stratagem; here it has emerged spontaneously. Fourth, by taking a developmental perspective, we hope to provide a more analytic account of tourism’s impact on social and spatial structure--both regulatory and representational aspects.
Regionalizing
the Global-Local Economic Nexus: A Tale of Two Regions in China
Xiangming Chen
Professor of Sociology,
Department of Sociology, University of Illinois at Chicago
Great Cities Institute Faculty Scholar 2005-2006
March 2006
GCP-06-01
This paper offers a new framework for conceptualizing and analyzing
region as capable of mediating or restructuring global-local economic
relations in varied ways. It describes the structural and spatial formations
of regionalized global-local value chains and production networks, analyzes
the opportunities and constraints for indigenous Chinese firms in the
two regions of the Pearl River Delta (PRD) and the Yangtze River Delta
(YRD) to achieve industrial upgrading.
Can
Chicago Make It as a Global City?
Janet Abu-Lughod
Professor Emerita, Sociology, Northwestern University
Graduate Faculty of the New School for Social Research, New York
June 2000
GCP-00-2
Chicago is a global city. It always has been. But the answer to the
question, "Can Chicago make it as a vital, growing, commanding
center in the new configuration of the global system?" is not so
evident. This paper is from a presentation made in November, 1999 at
the Harold Washington Center of the Chicago Public Library as part of
the Great Cities Institute's 1999-2000 Lecture Series and is based on
Dr. Abu-Ludhod's 1999 book, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles: America's
Global Cities (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1999).
Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Economic
Development Initiatives in a Context of Global Integration
Victor M. Ortiz
May 1997
GCP-97-10
This article illustrates two local responses in El Paso, Texas, to the
ongoing integration of the U.S. and Mexican economies. The study examines
the responses of the labor and business communities. The case studies
are used to suggest new insights about the temporal and spatial dimensions
of globalization on the local level.
Analyzing Economic
Integration
Presentation Summary
David C. Ranney
May 1997
GCP-97-11
This paper analyzes trade as it has been impacted by neoliberal development.
Trade is considered in relation to capital flows and the impact of trade
is assessed in the broad concept of social wages. Also, the net costs
of import and export trade are estimated. This paper was presented at
Seminario Sobre Integracion Economic Regional in Madrid, Spain.
Does “Free Trade”
Create Good Jobs? A Rebuttal to the Clinton Administration
David Ranney
January 1997
GCP-97-2
This paper examines the employment claims related to deregulatory, export-promoting
policies. Using corporate case studies and statistical data, the paper
analyzes concludes the jobs employment trends.
International Forum
on Urban Insecurity
Forum Proceedings
September 1995
GCP-95-2
This forum brought together urban affairs experts from Europe, the United
Nations, and the Chicago area to discuss the common themes of public
safety. This report outlines the speakers’ presentations.
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