Neo-Progressivism and Urban Politics in the Ongoing Interregnum: A Conjunctural Approach of Ecologist Electoral Victories in Major French Cities in 2020

Abstract

Over the past decade, the increasing discredit of the neoliberal urban growth regime has resulted in the election of neo-progressive left-wing candidates to head local governments in several American and European cities. The political assertion of municipal neo-progressivism goes beyond the case of urban governments born out of social movements in opposition to the most radical neoliberal austerity policies of the 2010s. By drawing on a conjunctural approach, we shed light on the various, complex, and instable factors explaining the conditions under which neo-progressive forces gain access to the leadership of urban municipal institutions. Using the case of the simultaneous and unprecedented elections of ecologist mayors in nine major French cities in 2020, this article examines how the conjuncture of entry into a global post-neoliberal interregnum is being unstably refracted into urban politics.