What is local politics?
• What is unique as a form of politics?
• How is it different from national,
international politics?
• What do cities / counties do?
Local Politics
• Themes (Judd & Swanstrom)
– Politics of growth
– Politics of governance
– Politics of metropolitan fragmentation
Local politics
• Politics of growth
– From colonies until today
• Jamestown, 1607
• Kelo v New London CT, 2005
Local Politics
• Politics of governance
– Managing things at the ground level
• Immigration, housing, crime, roads
– Managing group conflict
• Ferguson, MO
Local Politics
• Politics of metropolitan fragmentation
– Cities compete against cities
• ‘globalization before globalization’
– 89,000 local governments
– Seattle Sonics, Wal-Mart, etc.
Two ‘theories’ of local politics
• Political economy of place
• Public choice logic
Theory of Local Politics I
• Political Economy of Place
– Exchange Value Coalition
• increase value of land held for sale
• actors who have incentives to be organized in
local politics
• booster-ism
• In Judd: buy land, promote canals, attract
railroads, etc.
Theory of Local Politics I
• Political Economy of Place
– Exchange Value Coalition
• increase value of land held for sale
– How can someone use public tools to increase value
of land?
– Incentives for these people to be well organized
politically
Theory of Local Politics I
• Political Economy of Place
– Use Value Coalition
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protect “lifestyle” values of land
neighborhood groups
NIMBY
respond to ‘threats’
organize episodically
Theory of Local Politics I
• Local politics = conflict over rival visions
of land use
• Conflict of values
– exchange value coalition vs. use value
coalition
• Dominant Group is pro-development
– most places, most of the time
Theory of Local Politics I
• Result: City as a ‘growth machine’
– pro growth ‘ideology’
– privilege position of business
– structural political power
– collective action problem
– challenges are rare
• successful challenged even more rare
Theory of Local Politics II
• Public Choice Logic
• City as a business firm
– supplies services, sets price, offers unique
bundle of goods
• Residents as consumer of services
– unique preferences and willingness to pay
Theory of Local Politics II
• Public Choice Logic
• A market model
– citizens (or businesses) ‘vote with their
feet’
– shop around for best mix of public services
• schools, fire, libraries, parks
Theory of Local Politics II
• Assumptions of market model
– people have information
– people are mobile
– have lots of choices (36,000 cities & towns)
– more choices = more efficency
– cities respond to threat of mobility
– competition = efficiency gains
Theory of Local Politics II
• Cities in competition with each other:
– to provide services
– to retain businesses and residents
• Examples:
– Stadium politics
– Manufacturing plants
– Big retail
– Universities
Theory of Local Politics II
• Evidence
– information about tax levels?
– homeowners mention taxes
– Firms cite taxes as location criteria
– Metro areas with more places have lower
service / tax levels
– if public officials think that taxing/spending
will cause flight...
Theory of Local Politics II
• Implications
– more places is better
– get rid of school districts, metro
governments
– Efficiency vs. equity
• Example:
– School voucher debate
What does this say about cities?
• City Limits
– Political Economy of Place
• growth machine usually wins, cities pursue prodevelopment policies
– Public Choice
• competition constrains what cities can spend money on
• only spend on development, on infrastructure, on public
safety....
• What cities do not do:
• unemployment comp., welfare, social services...
Political Development of US Cities
• Theme - commercial enterprises
• Colonial Town (1610 - 1770s)
– 1700 250,000 Europeans
– 1775 2.5 million
– a nation of towns
– towns (forts) used to settle ‘west’
Political Development
• Colonial towns
– Charters granted by Crown to est.
business enterprises
– leadership in hands of those who chartered
– corporate, self-rule
– these are the roots of our towns/cities
• still, largely agrarian society
Political Development
• The Early Republic (1790 - 1860)
– Age of Jefferson
– Jeffersonian critique of city
• “mobs of cities are to pure democracy what
sores are to the strength of the human body”
• crowds, pursuit of commerce, recipe for
corruption of public virtue
• virtue in agriculture
• Louisiana Purchase, 1803
Political Development
• The Early Republic (1790 - 1860)
– Age of Jackson
• by 1820, 20% of population in cities
• expansion of franchise (2x)
• new organizations evolving to structure politics
of cities....
• Volunteer Fire Departments
• Mass based political parties
Political Development of US Cities
• Age of Jackson
– Volunteer Fire Departments
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mass based
egalitarian
offered fellowship, social recognition
built by efforts of working class
hierarchical leadership
Political Development
• Early Republic (1790 - 1860)
• Jacksonian Democracy + urbanization =
– frequent elections
– more local offices elected
– universal (white male) suffrage
– to the victor go the spoils
– political parties as machines