1. Garbage and Democracy
- Author
-
Louise W. Knight Mat
- Subjects
Community organizing ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Government ,Economic growth ,Public Administration ,Sociology and Political Science ,Community building ,Public health ,media_common.quotation_subject ,ComputingMilieux_LEGALASPECTSOFCOMPUTING ,Development ,Public administration ,Democracy ,Scale (social sciences) ,medicine ,Sociology ,Community development ,Garbage ,media_common - Abstract
In the 1890s, before community development existed as a theory or profession, some citizens in Chicago organized for reform on a citywide scale. Their goals were to compel the municipal government to clean up its garbage problem and to strengthen democracy. Two new organizations-the first founded by women and the second, by women and men together-tackled the garbage issue, using strategies of self-help and of targeting the state sector. Some progress was made in the garbage problem, particularly once reformers started campaigning against corrupt aldermen, but working-class people were never drawn into the campaign after the first year. Middle-class women, however, were significantly empowered by the effort.
- Published
- 2006
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