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• 2. Federalism: The Power Plan
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• 5. Parties and Interest Groups: Elephants, Donkeys, and Cash Cows
• 6. Legislatures: The Art of Herding Cats
• 7. Governors and Executives: There Is No Such Thing As Absolute Power
• 8. Courts: Turning Law into Politics
• 9. Bureaucracy: What Nobody Wants but Everybody Needs
• 10. Local Government: Function Follows Form
• 11. Metropolitics: The Hole Government Problem
• 12. Finances: Filling the Till and Paying the Bills
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• 14. Crime and Punishment
• 15. Health and Welfare Policy: State, Heal Thyself!
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Chapter 11: Metropolitics

Study

Chapter Summary
As localities continue to expand, demand for government services increases. Sprawl, and the resulting growth of metropolitan areas, has had adverse effects. Low-density developments reduce the cost effectiveness of public service delivery and can lead to racial and economic segregation. Population growth and development have resulted in an increase in the number of metropolitan areas or areas with strong economic and social ties that have consolidated their governing activities. Localities use such consolidations in an attempt to coordinate the delivery of public goods and services.

Some argue that consolidation is actually an inefficient design for government. According to the public choice model of politics, and, by extension, the Tiebout model, fragmented governments that allow for choice through competition are the most efficient means to deliver public goods. The chief assumption of the Tiebout model--a mobile and highly informed citizenry--is thought by many to be unrealistic, however, and such models lack empirical support.

Objectives
After reading this chapter, you should understand…

• how metropolitan areas differ from megalopolises
• the effects of sprawl and low-density developments
• the relationship between low-density developments and car-dependent living
• the problems associated with metropolitan growth
• how local governments deal with the effects of sprawl
• the public choice model of politics
• the Tiebout model

Study Questions

1. What are the characteristics of a metropolitan area?


2. What are the effects of sprawl and low-density development?

3. What are the problems associated with metropolitan growth?

4. Discuss the “push” and “pull” migration patterns associated with suburban sprawl.

5. What are some institutional and procedural mechanisms available to local governments for correcting some of the problems associated with sprawl?

6. What is the public choice model of politics, and how does it relate to problems associated with metropolitan growth?

7. Explain the Tiebout model and some potentially false assumptions associated with it.

8. What are some dilemmas facing rural communities in terms of growth and government efficiency?