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ECONOMICS, POLITICS, AND POLICY MAKING IN SMALL TOWNS
Author(s) -
Kanervo David
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
southeastern political review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1747-1346
pISSN - 0730-2177
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-1346.1994.tb00401.x
Subject(s) - politics , tax policy , government (linguistics) , economics , urban policy , public economics , public policy , political science , economic policy , economic growth , tax reform , urban planning , philosophy , ecology , linguistics , law , biology
Peterson, in City Limits, argues that economic conditions in cities limit the policy choices which are available to government decision makers. Because of the desire to increase the tax base, municipal policy makers pursue developmental policies, but generally avoid redistributive policies because of the drain on the local economy. Critics of Peterson's model of policy making claim that political factors are more important determinants of urban policy than he recognizes. This study examines policy making in small towns and finds that economic capacity is related to developmental, allocational, and redistributive policy. In stable and growing communities, political factors are also found to be related to the adoption of these three types of policy. The fiscal capacity provided by a growing tax base provides small town policy makers with the opportunity to pursue program improvements that are not possible in communities with limited resources.