Toward a New Political Economy of Metropolitan Regions

Abstract

The nation is not the real economy; nor are state or local political jurisdictions. Metropolitan-centered economic regions are the functional economies. These metropolitan economic regions are linked in a highly interdependent system of regional economies. This system of regional economies overlays the political geography of the nation but does not correspond to national boundaries, just as metropolitan economic regions do not correspond to state or local political boundaries. Policymaking thus confronts two major but noncongruent systems: Economic federalism and political federalism. Noncongruence constitutes a major obstacle to economic policymaking and implementation. A political economy of these two federalisms is needed to fuse politics and policy.