The rising importance of local government in the United States: Recent research and challenges for sociology

Lobao, Linda

doi:10.1111/soc4.12410

Cited by 25 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 58 publications

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“…Less reliance on property taxes and the reconfiguration of the local tax code, however, did not translate into higher rates of monetary punishment. The findings suggest this lack of association is evident even as the costs of criminal justice have ballooned since the 1970s and local governments are paying more of these costs (see also Lobao ). Although locales are financing more of these costs, money from fees, fines, and forfeits does not seem to substitute for lost revenues from the property tax as expected.…”

Section: How Does Monetary Punishment Vary By Community?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Not One but Many: Monetary Punishment and the Fergusons of America^,

Henricks

Harvey

2017

Sociological Forum

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How typical is Ferguson? That is, to what extent is monetary punishment driven by fiscal crisis and deficit spending? Do communities that increasingly rely less on property taxes generate higher rates of fines and fees? And how might increased spending on policing over time impact whether local governments turn to these sanctions for revenue? We compile city-and county-level information from four national data sets to answer these questions through a series of least squares regression models. Our findings add to what sociologists, criminologists, and policymakers know about monetary punishment in at least three ways. First, we offer an analysis that focuses on monetary sanctions for not only criminal but civil courts. Second, our focus broadens the scope of local case studies that emphasize questions of process. And third, our study furthers the project of the New Fiscal Sociology. Throughout, we stress how public finance formalizes inequality in ways that define the symbolic relations between groups, their relation to the state, and the unspoken social contract. Our discussion concludes with some policy recommendations.

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Section: How Does Monetary Punishment Vary By Community?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Not One but Many: Monetary Punishment and the Fergusons of America^,

Henricks

Harvey

2017

Sociological Forum

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“…Recent works show the drivers can be top-down as in the European Union (Clifton, 2014; Clifton et al., 2018), but also bottom-up as in recent populist movements in the USA (Warner and Clifton, 2014; Rodríguez-Pose, 2018). In a multilevel governance system, the shifts in roles and responsibilities among different levels of government are particularly important (Lobao, 2016; Peck, 2014; Rodríguez-Pose et al., 2009; Tomaney et al., 2010; Xu and Warner, 2015, 2016). This paper explores the role of US local governments in the austerity-driven restructuring process.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The US case is interesting because it has always been highly decentralized compared to other OECD countries (OECD, 2016), with local governments delivering a wide range of services (Lobao, 2016; Lobao and Adua, 2011; Peck, 2014; Warner and Clifton, 2014; Warner and Hefetz, 2012). Does the greater local autonomy in the USA translate to more pushback against austerity or more self-imposed austerity?…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Austerity urbanism or pragmatic municipalism? Local government responses to fiscal stress in New York State

2019

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As local governments respond to fiscal stress after the global financial crisis, some scholars warn about an austerity urbanism response wherein local governments cut and privatize services, while others see a pragmatic municipalism response that seeks to protect public services by sharing services, applying for more grants, or charging user fees. Existing empirical works lack detail about the types of local government responses and their drivers. Using a structural equation model with 2017 survey data of 919 counties and municipalities in New York State, we explore the drivers of perceived fiscal stress and two responses: cuts and pragmatic municipalism. We find economy, demography, and state policy drive perceptions of fiscal stress and differentiate responses. The dominant response is pragmatic municipalism, and cuts are only dominant in counties and places with more tax-exempt property. Pragmatic municipalism is found not only in places with larger college-educated populations, left-leaning governing boards, and stronger support for maintaining and providing services, but also in places with greater anti-tax sentiments, poverty, and lack of resources for innovation. These results show that local governments use pragmatic approaches to hold back the tide of austerity pressures and respond to local needs within constraints.

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“…Although the focus here is predominantly on Danish diabetes care, the issues addressed are likely to be of relevance to countries inspired by the WHO Ottawa Charter. For example, in the United States, local government gain more responsibility for public well-being (Lobao, 2016), while the Netherlands emphasises collaboration between local government, local health and social care organisations to create effective self-care in the population (Wensing et al, 2014). In Japan, public health strategies seek to support citizens to make healthier choices (Borovoy, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Lifestylisation of the social: The government of diabetes care in Denmark

Knudsen

Triantafillou

2020

Health (London)

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Since the 1970s, the public authorities of many OECD countries have emphasised the need for preventing lifestyle diseases and promoting the vigour of their populations. Based on the Foucauldian analytics of dispositive, we critically address some of the normative implications of the preventive interventions in the area of type 2 diabetes care. Through an analysis of public health documents from 1981 to 2016, it is shown that the government of lifestyle was extended and institutionalised by a reform of the Danish public sector in 2007. Following the reform, rationalities of public health policies sought to prevent unhealthy lifestyles not only through individual behaviour but also through the social surroundings of citizens. In contrast to the claim that we are seeing a retraction of state responsibility and interventions in the area of public health, it is suggested that we are witnessing an expansion in state ambitions expressed through a lifestyle dispositive. These ambitions are less about transferring the responsibility to the individual and more about governing and mobilising the social relations and environments of type 2 diabetes patients and citizens in general to make the everyday choice of a healthy lifestyle easier.

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The rising importance of local government in the United States: Recent research and challenges for sociology

Cited by 25 publications

References 58 publications

Not One but Many: Monetary Punishment and the Fergusons of America^,

Not One but Many: Monetary Punishment and the Fergusons of America^,

Austerity urbanism or pragmatic municipalism? Local government responses to fiscal stress in New York State

Lifestylisation of the social: The government of diabetes care in Denmark

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The rising importance of local government in the United States: Recent research and challenges for sociology

Cited by 25 publications

References 58 publications

Not One but Many: Monetary Punishment and the Fergusons of America,

Not One but Many: Monetary Punishment and the Fergusons of America,

Austerity urbanism or pragmatic municipalism? Local government responses to fiscal stress in New York State

Lifestylisation of the social: The government of diabetes care in Denmark

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Not One but Many: Monetary Punishment and the Fergusons of America^,

Not One but Many: Monetary Punishment and the Fergusons of America^,