ABSTRACT

In recent decades, cities have experienced dwindling state resources and growing socioeconomic inequalities—many scholars have identified this change as neoliberalism. Although these changes have generated much debate, not a lot of scholarship has tried to present alternatives. This article uses the Westside Leadership Institute (WLI) in Salt Lake City, Utah, as a case study to understand what can be done at low cost to address historically disadvantaged communities and improve their conditions. Through leadership development, participants develop cognitive, interpersonal, and strategic skills. They also form a symbiotic relationship with anchor institutions, a Community Development Corporation and the University of Utah. Using data from interviews, focus groups, and surveys, this article examines how residents have applied what they learned in the WLI to create social change at the local level. Although small-scale community development, the WLI has proven to be effective at building and sustaining indigenous leaders, who in turn push a progressive agenda forward.

摘要

近几十年来，城市经历了不断减少的国家资源和日益加剧的社会经济不平等——许多学者将这种变化视为新自由主义。尽管这些变化引起了很多争论，但没有多少学者试图提出替代方案。本文使用位于犹他州盐湖城的 Westside Leadership Institute (WLI) 作为案例研究，以了解如何以低成本解决历史上处于不利地位的社区并改善他们的条件。通过领导力发展，参与者发展认知、人际关系和战略技能。他们还与主要机构、社区发展公司和犹他大学形成共生关系。使用来自访谈、焦点小组和调查的数据，本文考察了居民如何应用他们在 WLI 中学到的知识在地方层面创造社会变革。尽管是小规模的社区发展，WLI 已被证明在培养和维持土著领导人方面是有效的，而后者反过来又推动了进步议程。