If Mayors Ruled: Failing States, Rising Cities

When it comes to the great problems of our time—climate change, terrorism, poverty, and the trade in drugs, weapons, and people—the world’s nations seem powerless. The problems are too big and too complex for the nation state. Is the nation state, once the hope of democracy, now a stumbling block to democracy? The answer is yes, argues Benjamin Barber in this highly provocative and original book. Cities and their mayors can do better, and they’re showing it everywhere. If Mayors Ruled features profiles of a dozen mayors from around the world—brave, eccentric, or both—and a compelling new perspective on the leadership of the next century.