In Fear City, Kim Phillips-Fein offers a terrific analysis of New York City’s fiscal crisis of the 1970s and its aftermath.1 It is hard to write a response to a book that is so beautifully written and convincing in its argument. I am tempted to simply sing a chorus of yeses. But I will instead point to a few areas where my interpretation of New York City’s fiscal crisis leans in a slightly different direction. This is more a matter of emphasis or “accent,” as Phillips-Fein’s work is extremely nuanced and already addresses well the issues below.
As a chronicler of the fiscal crisis itself, Phillips-Fein is unrivaled. The best scholarship about New York City’s fiscal crisis was largely written in late 1970s and 1980s by social scientists and journalists. For a reader today, these inside-baseball accounts of obscure politicians, confusing acronyms, and bureaucratic maneuverings can be a...
