Are women politically represented at the local level in the United States?
Jamie Boex and Sonja Walti While the number of women elected to the U.S. Congress and state assemblies is on the rise, there continues to be a clear gender gap
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Localism can only flourish with effective federal and state governments
Cities are the right frame for tackling many of our most important problems, from concentrated poverty to housing affordability, from economic opportunity to more sustainable living. But enamored as we
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Why midsized metro areas deserve our attention
Over the past few years, new research and major political and business events have combined to make Americans more attentive to how place shapes economic and social outcomes. Back in
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Which States Have Most Fragmented Local Governments?
Government fragmentation has long been torn between two competing interests. On one hand, many officials argue consolidation boosts efficiency and makes coordination easier. Citizens, though, remain attached to their local
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When Local Sheriffs Won’t Enforce The Law
Last fall, voters in Washington state approved a package of firearms restrictions, generally called I-1639. It raises the minimum age for buying semi-automatic rifles, tightens background checks and makes it
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The new localism
Power is shifting in the world: downward from national governments and states to cities and metropolitan communities; horizontally from the public sector to networks of public, private and civic actors;
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Is democracy the problem?
The U.S. political system is beset by a high degree of polarization and a low sense of common purpose. Should we blame democracy itself, or should we blame ourselves for
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Local Elections and the Politics of Small-Scale Democracy
Local government is the hidden leviathan of American politics: it accounts for nearly a tenth of gross domestic product, it collects nearly as much in taxes as the federal government,
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Democratic representation at the county level: new evidence
It is difficult to conceptually measure the degree of “local democracy” in any state or country. It is even harder to measure local government representation in the United States in
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Birmingham scores a win against state preemption
A federal appeals court handed workers in Birmingham, Alabama, a significant win this week as the city is in a battle against state lawmakers over whether it has the right
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Elected Sheriffs and the Need for Reform in County Law Enforcement
Most state constitutions require that counties have an elected sheriff who serves as the county’s chief law enforcement officer. The sheriff’s office is over a thousand years old and today
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Ensuring better and more responsive decision making in California
California is too large to be governed effectively and that splitting it up would result in “better decision making and real solutions closer to home.” At least, that is the
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