Moving on from Munro: improving children’s services

ship opportunities were systematically denied to blacks through redlining and other exclusionary practices. This illustrates that whites’ economic gains were thus not entirely rooted in self-sufficiency – that whites also benefited from governmental largess, which set the stage for their cumulative advantage. The book’s concluding chapter highlights proposed policies of metropolitan equity, which Troutt believes can overcome the mean-spirited localism that Americans so often exhibit, focusing instead on equitable regionalism. One prospective policy would raise the minimum wage in certain regions where the cost of living is much higher than the national average. Another plan involves implementing inclusionary zoning laws, which would mandate that new developments in any town in a given region include affordablehousing options. Troutt acknowledges that it would be difficult to win support for some of these proposed remedies. For example, with regard to inclusionary zoning, he admits that some towns would find ways to stall or avoid obeying these regulations altogether, and that obtaining their compliance would obviously require heavy enforcement. Although many of the policy prescriptions that Troutt offers seem somewhat idealistic given the current political landscape, The Price of Paradise is a well-researched book that should be read by both undergraduate and graduate students interested in inequality and urban problems. In addition, Troutt’s impassioned writing makes the book both accessible and compelling for nonacademics.