I'd strongly recommend this book for a case study on how this actually plays out in reality:

http://www.amazon.com/Rationality-Power-Democracy-Practice-M...

I would strongly recommend this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Rationality-Power-Democracy-Practice-M...

It's a case study of power dynamics inside the city of Aalborg with respect to a specific project and shows the influences of counties, businesses, and political climate on the result.

Not sure why Amazon doesn't seem to have it anymore... :(