The case of the missing scales: a commentary on Cox

Abstract

In this commentary, I argue that in his paper, ‘Spaces of Dependence, Spaces of Engagement and the Politics of Scale.’, Kevin Cox overestimates the ability of political agents to overcome a ‘politics of dependence’ through the social construction of a politics of engagement. By examining two ‘missing scales’ in U.S. politics—nationally administered policy, and regional governance—I attempt to show that either when the state constructs scale—or fails to construct it—political agents often find it difficult to overcome the consequences by constructing their own scales of engagement.