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Demographic factors affecting constitutional decisions: the case of municipal charters

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  • Steven Maser

Abstract

After decades of studying municipal charters largely by looking for patterns in the data, we have a good basis for proceeding more formally with testable theories. The political significance of demographic change becomes apparent by looking at its impact on political conflict in combination with the biases in social-choice rules. The theory of civil rights provides a framework for doing this. It suggests identifying (1) the distribution of civil rights conveyed to citizens by alternative charters and (2) the bases for political conflict, such as different demands for services and the unequal command of economic resources to satisfy them. Charters, then, become political tools. Simple statistical tests fail to refute this. The methodology employed in these tests follows logically from the theory. However, untangling region from the state laws is easier than untangling ethnicity or even race from income as explanatory variables. Understanding cultural differences that may well create value conflicts independent of financial ones will be still more difficult. Furthermore, some population changes should be considered endogenous to a theory of charter reform. Better estimates will require multiple-equation formulations that can handle simultaneity. In sum, more thought, better data, and more refined tests are necessary. How deterministic can we be in making predictions? Some ambiguity may be inherent in studying institutions such as city charters. The significance of a particular provision is not always the same because of its complex interactions with other provisions. The context in which citizens enact a provision is, of course, all important. The more subtle the impact of the provision, the more subtle the contextual factors that induced its enactment. That may justify close historical analysis informed by a theory of constitutional contracts, but it inhibits prediction. Still, predicting the direction and rate of change in municipal charters should be within the realm of possibilities. Copyright Martinus Nijhoff Publishers 1985

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  • Steven Maser, 1985. "Demographic factors affecting constitutional decisions: the case of municipal charters," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 121-162, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:pubcho:v:47:y:1985:i:1:p:121-162
    DOI: 10.1007/BF00119355
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    Cited by:

    1. Keith Ihlanfeldt, 2011. "Local government structure and the quality of minority neighborhoods," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 147(1), pages 69-91, April.
    2. SALMON, Pierre, 1999. "Ordinary elections and constitutional arrangement," LATEC - Document de travail - Economie (1991-2003) 1999-10, LATEC, Laboratoire d'Analyse et des Techniques EConomiques, CNRS UMR 5118, Université de Bourgogne.
    3. Mark Lubell & Richard C. Feiock & Edgar E. Ramirez De La Cruz, 2009. "Local Institutions and the Politics of Urban Growth," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 53(3), pages 649-665, July.
    4. Elinor Ostrom, 1989. "Microconstitutional Change in Multiconstitutional Political Systems," Rationality and Society, , vol. 1(1), pages 11-50, July.
    5. David Mitchell, 2023. "Priority‐based budgeting: An honest broker among municipal functions?," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 21-37, March.
    6. Junghack Kim & Bruce D McDonald & Jongmin Shon, 2022. "Does the charter form lead to lower borrowing costs? Examining the case of California local governments," Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 93(1), pages 85-102, March.
    7. Pengju Zhang & Phuong Nguyen‐Hoang, 2023. "Home rule and municipal revenue stability: New evidence from Texas," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 38-60, March.
    8. Edward J. Mathis & Charles E. Zech, 1989. "The Median Voter Model Fails an Empirical Test: The Procedure, Useful in the Absence of a Better One, Is Not Valid for Multidimensional Issues," American Journal of Economics and Sociology, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 48(1), pages 79-87, January.
    9. Zachary Spicer, 2015. "Cooperation and Capacity: Inter-Municipal Agreements in Canada," IMFG Papers 19, University of Toronto, Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance.
    10. David Mitchell & Sarah E. Larson & Terry Henley & Auria Spranger & Suzette Myser, 2022. "A reflection of changing priorities? The reallocative impact of priority‐based budgeting in US municipalities," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(3), pages 3-22, September.
    11. Sarah E. Larson & Bruce D. McDonald, 2023. "Taxation and citizen choice: The effect of a county charter on property taxes," Public Budgeting & Finance, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 43(1), pages 64-84, March.

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