Tale of Two Municipalities: How Leadership Diversity Leads to Greater Environmental Sustainability, Equity and Quality of Life

Catyana Rhea Skory Falsetti

Advisor: Ben Manski, PhD, Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Committee Members: Amy Best, Leah Adams, Tom Sanchez

Online Location, Zoom
April 17, 2025, 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM

Abstract:

Even as U.S. cities continue to grow and become more diverse, diversity in municipal leadership lags behind. My research examines the relationship of representation in local government to environmental sustainability and quality of life. To do this, I combine the feminist pragmatism of Jane Addams with the methods of institutional ethnography in comparing community governance and investment in equity, safety, and environmental sustainability in Washington, D.C. and Kansas City, Missouri, between the years 1990 and 2020. I find that as more people from historically marginalized groups become involved in municipal leadership, local governments tend to support and implement more nurturing funding strategies. In turn, nurturing funding priorities lead to a safer, more equitable, and environmentally sustainable city. 
 

Join us on Zoom: https://to.gmu.edu/Falsetti