Robert Toll Norman was born on July 9, 1934 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Early in his youth, the family moved to Stockton, Ca. Norman would call Stockton home until enrolling at Stanford University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science in 1955, and an M.A. in Political Science two years later. He continued his formal education at Harvard University, receiving a Masters Degree of Public Administration in 1958, and a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government in 1963. Following his time at Harvard, Dr. Norman spent one year working for the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, D.C., helping to draft a national plan for American civil aviation. The next three years were spent working for the United States Department of State—USAID (United States Agency for International Development)—in both India and Nepal as an economist, planner, and assistant program officer. While abroad, Dr. Norman played a prominent role in organizing and conducting the International Seminar on Urban and Industrial Growth of the Kanpur Region held in India in 1967.
In 1967, Robert T. Norman was offered a position as an Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor a year later. During his career as a professor of urban affairs, Dr. Norman worked to broaden the focus of urban studies, carving out a special academic niche for himself as an authority on the place of cities in the international system—particularly on problems of government. Over the course of his distinguished academic career, several of Dr. Norman's articles were published in both national, and international journals of political science and urban affairs. Dr. Norman's many contributions to the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs helped to transform the program into one of the foremost schools of public and international affairs in the United States, annually ranking amongst the top 25. In 1997, Dr. Robert Toll Norman retired from GSPIA after 31 years of service and dedication to the program.
Dr. Norman continues to reside in Pittsburgh and make contributions to GSPIA.
The Robert T. Norman Papers consists of three boxes containing personal correspondences, published articles, and unpublished manuscripts from 1957-1997. These include a few college writings; his doctoral thesis; drafts and published copies of articles published in national publications; seminar reports; and unpublished manuscripts. Also included is correspondence between colleagues, editors, and publishers throughout his career in academia. The collection also contains items of a personal nature as well, including class notes; photographs; letters; and postcards from both personal acquaintances and family alike.
Series I. Academic Career
Series II. Professional Career
Series III. Personal Correspondences
Series IV. Personal Items
Series V. Books and Journals
No restrictions.
The University of Pittsburgh holds the property rights to the material in this collection, but the copyright may still be held by the original creator/author. Researchers are therefore advised to follow the regulations set forth in the U.S. Copyright Code when publishing, quoting, or reproducing material from this collection without the consent of the creator/author or that go beyond what is allowed by fair use.
Gift of Dr. Robert Toll Norman on July 22, 2009.
This collection was processed by Cameron Villarreal, January-March 2013.
Robert T. Norman Papers, 1958-1997, UA.90.F94, University Archives, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh
Series I. Academic Career, 1958-1998
Scope and Content Notes
This series consists of 85 folders, arranged in five subseries, containing documents pertaining to the academic work of Dr. Robert Toll Norman. These include manuscripts written by Dr. Norman during his formal schooling at both Stanford and Harvard Universities; draft versions of short manuscripts written while he was at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA); two longer manuscripts; lecture notes, class handouts, assignments and student work; and official publications of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, including 1958-1959 provisional bulletin.
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Subseries 1. Undergraduate/Graduate Papers and Teaching, 1955-1964
Scope and Content Notes
The first subseries, Undergraduate/Graduate Papers and Teaching, consists of 20 folders containing draft and completed versions of manuscripts and seminar papers written by Dr. Norman during his formal schooling. These early writings are concerned with topics such as local and regional transit planning; administrative policy; the future of urban government; metropolitan integration; and a copy of a speech discussing the future of government in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
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| Box | Folder | 'The Sacred Cow Steps Up To the Trough' or A Study of: The Politics of Education in A Federal System, 03/06/1956 | 1 | 1 |
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| Folder | The Problem of Knowledge for Meaningful Decision in Transportation Planning: The Case of a Regional Rapid Transit System for San Francisco, 12/10/1957 | 2 |
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| Folder | Euphoria and the Sythions: The Soviet Challenge to American Administrative Theory, 1957 | 3 |
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| Folder | The Autonomous Metropolis, 1958 | 4 |
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| Folder | Federal Policy on State and Local Government, 1963 | 6 |
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| Folder | Community, 07/1960 | 7 |
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| Folder | Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1961 | 8 |
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| Folder | The Future of Urban Government | 9 |
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| Folder | The Harvard Plan for Metropolitan Boston, 1963 | 10 |
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| Folder | Defense By Contract, 1963 | 11 |
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| Folder | Yale University Speech | 12 |
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| Folder | Max Weber and The Asian City | 13 |
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| Folder | A Turning Point on the Road to Freedom | 14 |
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| Folder | A Local Government Approach to World Order | 15 |
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| Folder | On Why City Government is in Crisis | 16 |
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| Folder | Civic Associations | 17 |
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| Folder | Metropolitan Integration | 18 |
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| Folder | Friendly Fascism: The New Face of Power in America | 19 |
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| Folder | Assorted Manuscript Title Pages | 20 |
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Subseries 2. GSPIA: Drafts and Short Manuscripts, 1967-1998
Scope and Content Notes
The second subseries consists of 49 folders containing draft and final versions of manuscripts and journal articles written by Dr. Norman during his time as professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. These writings adress various subjects such as local urban government; urbanization; urban planning at both the local and regional level; the role of cities in their global context; theories of public administration; the Pittsburgh Steelers victory in Super Bowl XIII; and other issues associated with urban affairs. This subseries represents a substantial portion of the comprehensive body of work of Dr. Norman during his 31 year stay at GSPIA.
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| Folder | The Political Subsystem | 21 |
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| Folder | PIA 2707: Third World Urbanization and Political Development | 22 |
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| Folder | Empowerment of Cities and Citizens, 08/04/1988 | 23 |
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| Folder | Politics of Global Resources and Empowering Cities and Citizens | 24 |
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| Folder | Administration of Public Affairs | 25 |
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| Folder | Politics of Global Resources | 26 |
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| Folder | Third World Urbanization and Political Development | 28 |
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| Folder | Subscriptions of Large Nations, 01/25/1970 | 36 |
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| Folder | GSPIA Closing, ca. 1984 | 30 |
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| Folder | Annexation: White Power? Black Power? Action in Alphadelphia, 09/09/1969 | 31 |
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| Folder | Black Power, Irish Bosses and the Metropolis, 09/12/1969 | 32 |
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| Folder | Education for All: A Crucial Test for the Urban Community, 10/05/1969 | 33 |
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| Folder | Rough Notes on City vs. National Power: Or Will Regional Development Produce Better Cities? 11/10/1969 | 34 |
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| Folder | The Future of Urban Government, 01/1970 | 35 |
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| Folder | On the Government of Cities, 01/1970 | 37 |
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| Folder | Urban Political Development: India, 09/11/1971 | 38 |
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| Folder | Regional Cities, 11/10/1971 | 39 |
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| Folder | Distance, Technology, and the Areal Division of Power, | 40 |
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| Folder | What Americans Might Learn from the Study of Regional Development in India, 10/1978 | 41 |
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| Folder | Towards An Urban Political Development Model, 02/1972 | 42 |
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| Folder | Urbanization in Europe and The United States, 01/28/1973 | 43 |
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| Folder | Poverty, Politics, and Participation in Kanpur, India: A Regional Analysis, ca. 1976 | 44 |
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| Folder | Prospects for Decentralization Under the Janata, 10/03/1977 | 45 |
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| Folder | The Theory of Sub-National Government: or The Value of Wormes in the Body Politick, 03/18/1978 | 46 |
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| Folder | On Winning Super Bowl XIII, 01/21/1979 | 47 |
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| Folder | The Theory of Compensatory Control, 01/23/1979 | 48 |
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| Folder | Like Wormes in the Entrayles of the Body Politick: The Linking of Sub- and Supra-National Theories of Government, 06/1979 | 49 |
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| Folder | Cities As Hostage, 09/22/1981 | 50 |
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| Folder | Walls and the Tradition of Civil Defense, ca. 1982 | 51 |
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| Folder | Hurdles, Obstacles, and Objectives, 03/1982 | 52 |
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| Folder | Beyond Soveriegnty, 06/26/1982 | 53 |
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| Folder | Public Administration and the Arms Race, 08/09/1982 | 54 |
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| Folder | Why Cities Should Have Offices of Community Survival, 09/08/1982 | 55 |
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| Folder | The City as Urban Region: Toward a Redefinition, 10/1982 | 56 |
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| Folder | The Alternative of Integrated City-States, ca. 1983 | 57 |
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| Folder | The Unconstitutionality of American Government, 12/10/1983 | 58 |
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| Folder | War, Women, and Work: The Democratic Imperative, ca. 1984 | 59 |
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| Folder | Public Administration- 1984 | 60 |
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| Folder | Metropolitan Integration, 01/25/1984 | 61 |
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| Folder | City Management, 01/28/1984 | 62 |
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| Folder | The Autonomous Metropolis, 01/28/1984 | 63 |
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| Folder | Public Administration and the Arms Race, 01/1986 | 64 |
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| Folder | World Order Thinking: Alternatives to the Sovereign State, 08/09/1991 | 65 |
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| Folder | Regime Theory in Cultural Context 04/18/1991 | 66 |
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| Folder | Vienna: The Shaky Tradition, 08/27/1995 | 67 |
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| Folder | Municipal Corporations: Borrowings and Failures | 68 |
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| Folder | Subscriptions of Large Nations, 01/25/1970 | 69 |
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Subseries 3. GSPIA: Completed Manuscripts
Scope and Content Notes
The third subseries consists primarily of two completed manuscripts written by Dr. Norman during his time as GSPIA. The first manuscript, entitled "Two Flags Flying: Toward A City-Based World Order Model," is focused on the role of cities in the world, and how cities can contribute to the quality of government. The second manuscript, "Beyond the United States: America After the Cold War," discusses the emerging problems of urbanization and governance faced by the United States following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Additionally included are three completed chapters focused on warfare and its justifications, presumably written by Dr. Norman; the book in which these chapters were to be included is unknown.
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| Folder | Two Flags Flying: Toward A City-Based World Order Model, 07/1989 | 70-72 |
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| Folder | Beyond the United States: America After the Cold War, 07/04/1990 | 73-76 |
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| Folder | War and Why We Have It | 77 |
Chapters 2-4
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Subseries 4. GSPIA: Lecture Notes, Assignments and Student Work
Scope and Content Notes
The fourth subseries consists of six folders which contain the notes, graphs, handouts, and miscellaneous assignments used by Dr. Norman during his time as a professor in GSPIA. The personal lecture and organizational notes of Dr. Norman account for the majority of this subseries; these notes provide a unique glimpse into the mind of a college professor, and address a wide variety of topics related to urban affairs and metropolitan integration. However, this subseries also includes copies of work--both draft and completed--submitted by students of Dr. Norman. Topics addressed within this subseries include: political theory; metropolitan integration and issues; the nuclear crisis and more.
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| Folder | Class Notes & Maps | 79 |
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| Folder | Articles for Class | 82 |
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Subseries 5. GSPIA: Publications
Scope and Content Notes
The fifth subseries consists of two folders containing a few official publications of the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) located at the University of Pittsburgh. Included in the subseries are both public and private releases which provide a look into the development of the renowned school from 1978-1997. Many of the documents are concerned with the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the creation of the school, which took place in 1997. Also included in this subseries is the original provisional bulletin of GSPIA from 1958; this proposal led to the creation of the school.
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| Folder | Assorted GSPIA Publications | 84 |
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| Folder | GSPIA Bulletin 1958-1959 1958-1959 | 85 |
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Return to Table of Contents »
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Series II. Professional Career, 1964-1968
Scope and Content Notes
This series consists of nine folders which include the writings and reports of Dr. Robert Toll Norman during his professional career in both the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of State. A majority of this series relates to the International Seminar on the Industrial and Regional Development of the Kanpur Region of northern India, which Dr. Norman helped to organize. Other topics addressed include issues of U.S. foreign policy, as well as domestic transportation policy and planning.
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| Box | Folder | Seminar on Regional Development in India, 1978 | 2 | 1 |
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| Folder | The Need for Economic Analysis of Nepals' Fertilizer Situation, 03/22/1966 | 2 |
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| Folder | International Seminar on Industrial and Urban Growth of Kanpur Region, | 3 |
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| Folder | Seminar in U.S. Foreign Policy, ca. 1963 | 4 |
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| Folder | The Kanpur International Seminar, | 5 |
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| Folder | Transportation, Power and Communication, | 6 |
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| Folder | End of Tour Report, ca. 1966 | 7 |
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| Folder | Seminar on Neighborhood Preservation, ca.1977 | 8 |
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| Folder | Reflections on the Cheat Lake (Lakeview) Conference | 9 |
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Return to Table of Contents »
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Series III. Personal Correspondences 1958-1998
Scope and Content Notes
This series consists of five folders containing the numerous personal correspondences between Dr. Norman and his peers, colleagues, and publishers he was in contact with throughout his career in academia. Correspondences with colleagues such as Robert C. Wood, Charles Mills, Harvey Robins, Samuel H. Beer, and other prominent figures in academia accounts for about half of the series. Dialogues with various notable publishing companies such as the Oxford Press, Purdue University Press, and others, make up much of the remainder of the series. Other prominent subjects within the correspondences include: planning for the celebration of the 40th anniversary of GSPIA; family and personal happenings; travel experiences; multilateral coordination of research; granting of tenure; and organizational memos.
Within each folder, the correspondences are organized chronologically by date; they are also grouped into two areas: Colleagues and Academic Work; and Personal.
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| Folder | Book Correspondences | 14 |
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Return to Table of Contents »
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Series IV. Personal Items
Scope and Content Notes
This series consists of five folders containing items of a personal nature belonging to Dr. Robert Toll Norman. Included in the series are documents pertaining to a 1970 dispute over the tenure of Dr. Norman including numerous copies (dates varying) of his curriculum vitae and a complete write-up of the dispute. Additionally, Folder 17 contains 27 photographs taken at two different times during Dr. Norman's life: childhood, and a group picnic during the 1990s. The series is concluded by two folders which contain newspaper clippings and personal awards received by Dr. Norman during his youth.
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| Folder | Tenure Credentials 1970 | 15 |
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| Folder | Tenure Dispute 1970 | 16 |
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| Folder | Personal Photographs | 17 |
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| Folder | Assorted Newspaper Clippings | 19 |
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Series V. Books and Journals
Scope and Content Notes
This series consists of a small portion of Dr. Norman's personal book collection. Additionally, bound-reference copies of Dr. Norman's doctoral thesis, and other significant research papers written as a graduate student at both Stanford and Harvard Universities. His thesis, entitled "The Metropolitan State: The Urbanization of Greater Boston," presents a comprehensive plan for the modernization of the Boston metropolitan area; the library of Harvard University still retains a copy of Dr. Norman's thesis for reference purposes. Also included in this series are copies of national and international publications of political science and urban affairs which feature selected articles written by Dr. Norman, addressing issues of city governance and regional planning.
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| Item | The Metropolitan State: The Urbanization of Greater Boston, 1963 | 1 |
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| Item | The Planning of An Inter-City Rapid Transit System for the San Francisco Bay Area: Some Theoretical Considerations, 1957 | 2 |
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| Item | A Tale of Two Models, 1957 | 3 |
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| Item | The Logic of Political Prediction: A Micro-Analysis, 1957 | 4 |
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| Item | Peace and Change: A Journal of Peace Research, 1984 | 5 |
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| Item | PARIYOJAN: An International Journal of Planning and Policy Sciences, 1983 | 6 |
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| Item | National Civic Review: Citizens Forum on Self-Government, 1982 | 7 |
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| Item | The Journal of Asian Studies, 1978 | 8 |
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| Item | Journal of Comparative Administration, 1972 | 9 |
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| Item | The American Political Science Review, 1967 | 10 |
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| Item | Comparative Urban Research, 1975-1976 | 11 |
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| Item | Urban and Industrial Growth of Kanpur Region: Report of the International Seminar, 1967 | 12 |
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| Item | The Gandhian Model of Development and World Peace, 1989 | 13 |
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| Item | Main Currents in Indian Sociology, 1983 | 14 |
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