In the Shadow of Quetzalcoatl

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Gregory Smith ◽  
Tara M. Bond-Freeman
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Chichen Itza ◽  
Local Leaders

This chapter investigates how the rise of Chichen Itza impacted small towns and villages in the vicinity. An analysis of ceramics, architecture, obsidian, and other classes of data at these communities suggests that the degree to which they embraced the Feathered Serpent ideology and its associated political economy prevalent at Chichen was highly variable. In some cases, towns were tightly integrated into the Chichen political economy, but others appear to have been only indirectly connected. The data indicates that Chichen Itza had different strategies in dealing with its smaller neighbors, and it is likely that some local leaders chose to interact with Chichen because of opportunities to obtain trade goods like obsidian that this city provided.

scholarly journals Quality of Life and Attractiveness of Small Towns: A Comparison of France and Poland

2014 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Kwiatek-Sołtys ◽  
Helene Mainet
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Ties ◽  
Small Towns ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Good Basis ◽  
Social Demand ◽  
Good Living ◽  
Local Leaders

Abstract Nowadays the issue of the quality of life tends to be more and more important for the attractiveness of spaces in the context of increasing commuting and social demand for a good living environment. Small towns are often seen as places where “the living is easy” and social ties are dense. They are therefore a good basis for analysing the quality of life. This is a transversal and complex notion which is not always easy to define. This paper is based on surveys conducted in small Polish and French towns in order to analyse perceptions of the quality of life by both their inhabitants and local leaders, and their potential place in the attractiveness of small towns.

scholarly journals Introduction: Views from the Shoreline: Community, Trade and Religion in Coastal Yorubaland and the Western Niger Delta

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Insa Nolte ◽  
Olukoya Ogen
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Niger Delta ◽  
High Mobility ◽  
Coastal Communities ◽  
The Political ◽  
Special Issue ◽  
Traditional Practice ◽  
Local Leaders

This article provides an introduction to the Special Issue entitled, “Views from the Shoreline: Community, trade and religion in coastal Yorubaland and the Western Niger Delta.” Introducing the 19 articles in this Special Issue, which cover the coastal stretch from Ikorodu (near Lagos) to Ore-Isi (Urhoboland) and Benin, the article maps out how the coast’s lack of centralization, its complex settlement histories, and its underrepresentation in government and mainstream mission archives may be addressed by using multi-methods approaches and in-depth fieldwork. It emphasizes both the high mobility and heterogeneity of coastal communities and illustrates the diverse ways in which local leaders have mobilized a range of resources – including Islam, traditional practice, and especially Christianity – to ensure individual wellbeing and to affirm or re-shape local boundaries and hierarchies. This article argues that the study of the coast, like that of other borderlands, affirms that both mixing and the assertion of difference are constitutive of the political economy of the area.

Regional development and agency: Unfinished business

2021 ◽  
pp. 026909422110238
Author(s):  
Alistair Rainnie
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Regional Development ◽  
Economic Geography ◽  
Recent Literature ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Unfinished Business ◽  
Evolutionary Economic Geography ◽  
Evolutionary Economic ◽  
Local Leaders

Agency and regional development has attracted growing attention. The origins of much thought in this area lie in evolutionary economic geography, sometimes with a nod in the direction of geographical political economy. In recent literature, there has been a stress on agency in general and local entrepreneurship in particular. Stress is laid on good governance, involving an appropriate mix of stakeholders, and more particularly the involvement of local leaders/entrepreneurs and their communities. However, in this article, I want to argue that, firstly, a focus on local entrepreneurship is too limiting; and secondly, following on from the first point, the concept of agency at a local level is at best undercooked.

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