Sustainable urban growth and the cosmopolitan environment: the role of power in promoting diversity, opportunities and entrepreneurship

This chapter aims to conceptualise the drivers of cosmopolitanism from the third-level power perspective, by drawing on Steven Lukes' (1974; 2005) theory of power. In addition, the chapter investigates the relationship between an entrepreneur’s cosmopolitan dispositions and habitus, i.e. a pattern of an individual's demeanor, as it was understood by Pierre Bourdieu. The chapter offers a theoretical model that allows us to enrich the understanding of the power-cosmopolitanism-entrepreneurship link by emphasising the preference-shaping capacity of power, which leads to embedding cosmopolitanism in societal values. As a value shared by political and business elites, cosmopolitanism is also actively promoted by entrepreneurs. This ensures not only their willingness to comply with power and the environment, but also enhancement of favourable business conditions. As a result, cosmopolitan cities remain resilient to changes in economic conditions and enjoy long-term sustainable growth. In cosmopolitan cities, entrepreneurs depart from mere acquiescence to power and its explicit dominance. Rather, they practice their cosmopolitan influence by active preference-shaping.