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E-book
Author Gillette, Clayton P

Title Local redistribution and local democracy : interest groups and the courts / Clayton P. Gillette
Published New Haven [Conn.] : Yale University Press, ©2011

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Description 1 online resource (xiii, 235 pages)
Contents The scope of local competence -- Why does local autonomy matter? -- The meaning and scope of local redistribution -- Why do local governments redistribute? -- Local political markets and state constitutional constraints -- Proxies for distinguishing benign and malign redistribution -- The limits of judicial intervention
Summary The traditional theory of urban finance argues against local redistribution of wealth on the assumption thatsuch action is likely to chase away the relatively wealthy, leaving only the impoverished behind. Nevertheless, Clayton P. Gillette observes, local governments engage in substantial redistribution, both to the wealthy and to the poor. In this thoughtful book, Gillette examines whether recent campaigns to enact "living wage" ordinances and other local redistributive programs represent gaps in the traditional theory or political opportunism. He then investigates the role of the courts in distinguishing between these explanations. The author argues that courts have greater capacity to review local programs than is typically assumed. He concludes that when a single interest group dominates the political process, judicial intervention to determine a program's legal validity may be appropriate. But if the political contest involves competing groups, courts should defer to local political judgments.&#160
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes English
Print version record
Subject Distribution (Economic theory)
Local government -- United States
Local finance -- United States
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Economic Conditions.
BUSINESS & ECONOMICS -- Economics -- Macroeconomics.
Distribution (Economic theory)
Local finance
Local government
United States
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2010045038
ISBN 9780300171822
030017182X
9786613150622
6613150622