City Management and the Emerging Welfare State

Evolution of City Budgets and Civic Responsibilities in Montreal, 1931–1951

Bibliographic Data

ID12178477
AuthorsJean–Pierre Collin (Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, corresponding author), Jean-Pierre Collin
Year1997
Volume9
Issue3
Pages339-357
Publication date1997-07-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Policy History (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0898-0306 • E-ISSN: 1528-4190
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0898030600006059
OpenAlexW2100560470
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited10

The Great Depression of the 1930s transformed municipal political life in Montreal, as it did that in other major cities in North America. For one thing, the debate between populists and reformers was revived as the electoral scene underwent fundamental changes. In many cities, political machines running on patronage became more influential as the middle class began to desert the city for the suburbs. At the same time, the margin of budgetary maneuvering available to cities was shrinking, and local public finances were reduced. Municipalities that had been obliged to borrow to meet social needs resulting from the depression were faced with a prolonged fiscal crisis, which for many of them resulted in bankruptcy and trusteeship. This was Montreal's fate in 1940

Bankruptcy · Depression (economics · Economics · Economy · Great Depression · Margin (machine learning · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sociology · State (computer science · Welfare · Welfare state · Canadian Identity and History · French Historical and Cultural Studies · Law · Political and Economic history of UK and US · Public Administration

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