Acknowledgements -- Preface / Jamie Peck -- Introduction / Mark Davidson and Kevin Ward -- Austerity and the spectacle: urban triage and post-political development in Detroit / L Owen Kirkpatrick and Chalem Bolton -- Austerity as the new normal : the fiscal politics of retrenchment in San Jose,...

Pursuing local tax policy -- Local taxation and American federalism -- Local limits -- The logic of the property tax -- The property tax under siege -- Local-option sales and excise taxes -- Income and business taxes -- Nontax revenue options -- Financing local government in the 21st century --...

School finance and urban education reform / Christopher Roellke and Jennifer King Rice -- Can whole-school reform improve the productivity of urban schools? : the evidence on three models / Robert Bifulco -- Whole school reform and school-based budgeting in New Jersey : three years of...

"Underfunded pension liabilities threaten the fiscal stability of many cities. While Detroit's bankruptcy has dominated the headlines, the problem is widespread. With ongoing battles in many localities, policymakers are increasingly turning their attention to the legacy issues surrounding the...