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Bureaucratic Response to Citizen-Initiated Contacts: Environmental Enforcement in Detroit

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  • Jones, Bryan D.
  • Greenberg, Saadia R.
  • Kaufman, Clifford
  • Drew, Joseph

Abstract

When citizens contact local government agencies, they generally attempt to influence service delivery decisions made by these bureaucracies. This paper examines the nature of citizen contacts, and the results of such contacts, with respect to the enforcement of environmental ordinances in Detroit, Michigan. We first examine the mechanisms responsible for the generation of citizen contacts. Assuming relations among citizen awareness, service need, and social well-being, we derive a downward-opening parabola as appropriate for describing the relationship between social well-being and propensity to contact a service agency. Using data on citizen contacts from City of Detroit agencies merged with census data, we find the expected relationship in evidence. We find that the Environmental Enforcement Division generally responds to citizen contacts, but the quality of the response varies with social characteristics of neighborhoods.

Suggested Citation

  • Jones, Bryan D. & Greenberg, Saadia R. & Kaufman, Clifford & Drew, Joseph, 1977. "Bureaucratic Response to Citizen-Initiated Contacts: Environmental Enforcement in Detroit," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 71(1), pages 148-165, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:71:y:1977:i:01:p:148-165_25
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    Cited by:

    1. Jinghui (Jove) Hou & Laura Arpan & Yijie Wu & Richard Feiock & Eren Ozguven & Reza Arghandeh, 2020. "The Road toward Smart Cities: A Study of Citizens’ Acceptance of Mobile Applications for City Services," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-15, May.
    2. Annette Hastings, 2009. "Poor Neighbourhoods and Poor Services: Evidence on the ‘Rationing’ of Environmental Service Provision to Deprived Neighbourhoods," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 46(13), pages 2907-2927, December.
    3. Steven Maser, 1985. "Demographic factors affecting constitutional decisions: the case of municipal charters," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 121-162, January.
    4. Alec Campbell & Richard A. Berk & James J. Fyfe, 1998. "Deployment of Violence," Evaluation Review, , vol. 22(4), pages 535-561, August.
    5. Joshua K. Dubrow & Irina Tomescu‐Dubrow & Olga Lavrinenko, 2022. "Contacting a public official: Concept and measurement in cross‐national surveys, 1960s–2010s," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 103(4), pages 810-819, July.

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