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• 1. [Article] Radical, Reformist, and Garden-Variety Neoliberal: Coming to Terms with Urban Agriculture’s Contradictions

  For many activists and scholars, urban agriculture in the Global North has become synonymous with sustainable food systems, standing in opposition to the dominant industrial agri-food system. At the same ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Radical, Reformist, and Garden-Variety Neoliberal: Coming to Terms with Urban Agriculture’s Contradictions Author: McClintock, Nathan Year: 2014 For many activists and scholars, urban agriculture in the Global North has become synonymous with sustainable food systems, standing in opposition to the dominant industrial agri-food system. At the same time, critical social scientists increasingly argue that urban agriculture programmes, by filling the void left by the "rolling back" of the social safety net, underwrite neoliberalisation. I argue that such contradictions are central to urban agriculture. Drawing on existing literature and fieldwork in Oakland, CA, I explain how urban agriculture arises from a protective counter-movement, while at the same time entrenching the neoliberal organisation of contemporary urban political economies through its entanglement with multiple processes of neoliberalisation. By focusing on one function or the other, however, rather than understanding such contradictions as internal and inherent, we risk undermining urban agriculture's transformative potential. Coming to terms with its internal contradictions can help activists, policy-makers and practitioners better position urban agriculture within coordinated efforts for structural change, one of many means to an end rather than an end unto itself. Title: Radical, Reformist, and Garden-Variety Neoliberal: Coming to Terms with Urban Agriculture’s Contradictions Author: McClintock, Nathan Year: 2014 For many activists and scholars, urban agriculture in the Global North has become synonymous with sustainable food systems, standing in opposition to the dominant industrial agri-food system. At the same time, critical social scientists increasingly argue that urban agriculture programmes, by filling the void left by the "rolling back" of the social safety net, underwrite neoliberalisation. I argue that such contradictions are central to urban agriculture. Drawing on existing literature and fieldwork in Oakland, CA, I explain how urban agriculture arises from a protective counter-movement, while at the same time entrenching the neoliberal organisation of contemporary urban political economies through its entanglement with multiple processes of neoliberalisation. By focusing on one function or the other, however, rather than understanding such contradictions as internal and inherent, we risk undermining urban agriculture's transformative potential. Coming to terms with its internal contradictions can help activists, policy-makers and practitioners better position urban agriculture within coordinated efforts for structural change, one of many means to an end rather than an end unto itself. Close

• 2. [Article] Assessment of the Socio-Economic Impacts of SB 1080 on Immigrant Groups

  In July 2008, the State of Oregon implemented SB 1080, legislation that required all applicants for an Oregon Driver License or ID card to present proof of legal presence in the United States. In 2007, ...

  Citation × Citation Citation Abstract Copy Title: Assessment of the Socio-Economic Impacts of SB 1080 on Immigrant Groups Author: King, Mary C., Corbett, John G., Chiappetta, John, López Salinas, Anabel Year: 2011 In July 2008, the State of Oregon implemented SB 1080, legislation that required all applicants for an Oregon Driver License or ID card to present proof of legal presence in the United States. In 2007, some 140,000 unauthorized immigrants were estimated to be living in Oregon, more than two-thirds of whom were estimated to be members of the labor force. Approximately 97% of Oregon’s unauthorized immigrants are thought to be Latino, nearly all of Mexican origin. This report includes a discussion of the social science findings on the situation of undocumented workers in the U.S and what is known about the uses of different forms of identification for Mexican nationals. It presents a statistical portrait of the Mexican-born population of Oregon, demonstrating their concentration in particular occupations, particularly agriculture, building and grounds maintenance, food preparation and construction. Given the magnitude of the ongoing recession, no economic impact of SB 1080 is yet discernible. In a full employment context, such as existed during 2007, and after all outstanding licenses held by undocumented immigrants have expired, SB 1080 might reduce state GDP by $160 million, or 0.1%, while raising wages by 0.16%. Economic impacts would be concentrated on those industries that particularly employ undocumented workers, notably agriculture and food service. Interviews with nearly 400 Spanish-speaking Oregon residents, conducted in the Summer of 2009, indicate distress and uncertainty in the Latino community, fear of deportation arising from a traffic stop, a significant number of people driving without a license and adjustments within households that reduce access to employment, education, medical and social services, church attendance and recreation. The full range and magnitudes of impacts cannot be known with certainty until SB 1080 is fully implemented in 2016, and the economy has recovered – and may be mitigated by immigration reform at the Federal level. Title: Assessment of the Socio-Economic Impacts of SB 1080 on Immigrant Groups Author: King, Mary C., Corbett, John G., Chiappetta, John, López Salinas, Anabel Year: 2011 In July 2008, the State of Oregon implemented SB 1080, legislation that required all applicants for an Oregon Driver License or ID card to present proof of legal presence in the United States. In 2007, some 140,000 unauthorized immigrants were estimated to be living in Oregon, more than two-thirds of whom were estimated to be members of the labor force. Approximately 97% of Oregon’s unauthorized immigrants are thought to be Latino, nearly all of Mexican origin. This report includes a discussion of the social science findings on the situation of undocumented workers in the U.S and what is known about the uses of different forms of identification for Mexican nationals. It presents a statistical portrait of the Mexican-born population of Oregon, demonstrating their concentration in particular occupations, particularly agriculture, building and grounds maintenance, food preparation and construction. Given the magnitude of the ongoing recession, no economic impact of SB 1080 is yet discernible. In a full employment context, such as existed during 2007, and after all outstanding licenses held by undocumented immigrants have expired, SB 1080 might reduce state GDP by $160 million, or 0.1%, while raising wages by 0.16%. Economic impacts would be concentrated on those industries that particularly employ undocumented workers, notably agriculture and food service. Interviews with nearly 400 Spanish-speaking Oregon residents, conducted in the Summer of 2009, indicate distress and uncertainty in the Latino community, fear of deportation arising from a traffic stop, a significant number of people driving without a license and adjustments within households that reduce access to employment, education, medical and social services, church attendance and recreation. The full range and magnitudes of impacts cannot be known with certainty until SB 1080 is fully implemented in 2016, and the economy has recovered – and may be mitigated by immigration reform at the Federal level. Close