REGIME THEORY REVISITED: THE ROLE
OF NONPROFITS IN URBAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
by
MICHELLE L. WOODDELL
AUGUST 2014
Advisor: Dr. Brady Baybeck
Major: Political Science
Degree: Doctor of Philosophy
While quite a bit has been written about the policymaking roles played by government and business actors, much less attention has been paid to the ways in which the U.S. nonprofit sector contributes to policy outcomes in urban areas. The dominant theory of urban governance, regime theory, has thus far marginalized the policymaking importance of nonprofits in urban areas, arguing that their role has largely been restricted to that of interested observer and occasional assistant rather than forceful actor or active partner. In certain urban policy arenas, however, the active participation of the nonprofit sector and its leaders can be a critical factor in the achievement of desirable policy outcomes, as government and business actors alone are not able to mobilize the resources necessary to accomplish policy goals. By examining the actors, processes, and outcomes in selected policy arenas in a major American city (Detroit) during the first decade of the 21st century, my research assesses the degree to which the nonprofit sector plays a collaborative and leadership role in urban policymaking
