Political Decision-making and the Local Provision of Public Goods: The Case of Municipal Climate Protection in the US

Abstract

The municipal political decision-making dynamic has typically been studied in regard to the provision of locally public goods and services whose benefits, while diffuse, are tied to a particular geography. This research extends current knowledge by empirically examining the local production of a global public good: climate protection. It utilises an original nation-wide dataset on the greenhouse gas-reducing activities that have been implemented by city governments in the US. These data enable the development of a more comprehensive measure of local climate protection than has been used in previous quantitative research. Several theories of local political decision-making are tested to determine the factors that influence the extent of municipal involvement in climate-protecting activities. Results suggest that local governments’ fiscal and human capacities are key determinants of involvement.