What is local politics?

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

• 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 fee

t’– 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 pro-development 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

• 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