The Politics of Incremental Progressivism analyzes urban policies in São Paulo – one of the biggest and most complex Southern cities – not only challenging the misconception that large metropolises of the Global South are usually ungovernable, but showing the recent occurrence of progressive change. The first detailed and systematic account of the policies and politics that construct, maintain and operate a large Southern metropolis Analyzes the policies of bus and subway transportation, traffic control, waste collection, development licensing, public housing and large urban projects, additionally to budgeting, electoral results and government formation and dynamics Contains original researches about urban policies in a Southern metropolis, and a theoretical focus that bridges the gap between political science and urban studies Contributes to the understanding of how the city is governed, what kinds of policies its governments construct and deliver and, more importantly, under what conditions it produces redistributive change in the direction of policies that reduce its striking social and urban inequalities