Unmaking Goliath

Arguing against those who say that our communities are powerless in the face of footloose corporations, DeFilippis considers what localities can do in the face of heightened capital mobility in order to retain an autonomy that furthers egalitarian social justice, and explores how we go about accomplishing this in practical, political terms.

"James DeFilippis has made an extraordinarily important contribution to the urban political economy literature. In his analysis of the potential of collectively owned, local enterprises, he offers critics of globalization and mobile capital a realistic assessment of the alternatives to them. By examining empirically some experiments in local autonomy and placing them within a broad theoretical context, he arrives at sensible conclusions that sum up both the possibilities and deficiencies of thinking locally.." -- Susan Fainstein, Professor of Urban Planning, Columbia University, and author of TheCity Builders"Unmaking Goliath presents some instructive case studies on three types of collective ownership existing in the United States." -- Jerry Kloby, Shelterforce"Unmaking Goliath covers a lot of ground in its 188 pages but does in an accessible and engaging way. Admirably linking theory and practice, the book assesses how some communities, faced with the negative consequences that global capitla has had in their localities, are attempting to regain a measure of control in their daily lives." -- Jane Holgate, Urban Studies Vol 42, No. 4, April 2005

James DeFilippis is Assistant Professor of Black and Hispanic Studies at Baruch College.