In Why Cities Lose, Stanford political scientist Jonathan Rodden undercuts this contention.
Exploring why cities incubate left-leaning coalitions that remain electorally disadvantaged, Rodden shows that any electoral system balancing urban interests with rural ones-as America's was designed to do-will penalize the party with a more geographically concentrated base of support.
The Left's numerical supremacy in urban centers comes at the price of competing in the suburban and rural districts necessary for legislative majorities.
Why don't Democrats use their urban power to draw electoral maps that marginalize rural interests? Some of the constraints are political-legal and legislative precedent favors compact districts, and incumbents desire safe seats.
Proportional representation, which allots seats based on the percentage of votes won by each party, would be a "Boon not only for the representation of cities, but for the policy agenda of the urban left," Rodden writes.
Rodden would have strengthened his argument if he had explained how, precisely, urban living seems to lead to progressive values.
Are progressive-leaning people more likely to seek out life in the city? Or does life among urban leftists rub off on newcomers and shape their thinking? A deeper examination of why progressives prefer urban life, or why cities inspire liberal viewpoints, could offer insight into, say, the fate of midsize blue cities within red regions or conservative prospects for reaching out to urban voters.
https://www.city-journal.org/urban-rural-electoral-divide
Exploring why cities incubate left-leaning coalitions that remain electorally disadvantaged, Rodden shows that any electoral system balancing urban interests with rural ones-as America's was designed to do-will penalize the party with a more geographically concentrated base of support.
The Left's numerical supremacy in urban centers comes at the price of competing in the suburban and rural districts necessary for legislative majorities.
Why don't Democrats use their urban power to draw electoral maps that marginalize rural interests? Some of the constraints are political-legal and legislative precedent favors compact districts, and incumbents desire safe seats.
Proportional representation, which allots seats based on the percentage of votes won by each party, would be a "Boon not only for the representation of cities, but for the policy agenda of the urban left," Rodden writes.
Rodden would have strengthened his argument if he had explained how, precisely, urban living seems to lead to progressive values.
Are progressive-leaning people more likely to seek out life in the city? Or does life among urban leftists rub off on newcomers and shape their thinking? A deeper examination of why progressives prefer urban life, or why cities inspire liberal viewpoints, could offer insight into, say, the fate of midsize blue cities within red regions or conservative prospects for reaching out to urban voters.
https://www.city-journal.org/urban-rural-electoral-divide
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