Love Thy (Elected) Neighbor? Residential Segregation, Political Representation, and Local Public Goods

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Abstract

We study geographic political representation and geographic distribution of local public goods within local jurisdictions with at-large proportional representation elections. We use detailed geo-coded data on politicians, the electorate, and elementary schools. Descriptive analysis reveals that poorer neighborhoods are underrepresented and that local politicians have a strong support base in their home neighborhoods. Based on randomized election outcomes due to personal vote count ties, geographic representation has a causal effect on school closures. The probability of closure is cut in half when a candidate living close to the school is randomly elected. High-income residents react to closures by moving away from the neighborhood, thus reinforcing segregation.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)860-875
Number of pages16
JournalJournal of Politics
Volume85
Issue number3
Early online date25 May 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2023
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article-refereed

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