Full Citation
Title: When Progressives Took Power. The Political and Economic Effects of Municipal Reform in U.S. Cities
Citation Type: Miscellaneous
Publication Year: 2023
ISBN:
ISSN:
DOI:
NSFID:
PMCID:
PMID:
Abstract: How did Progressive era reforms affect the lives of urban residents across U.S. cities? Some scholars argue that racist and nativist impulses permeated this movement, which primarily benefited white business owners. Others emphasize that reformers sought to improve urban living and working conditions and expand educational access, generating economic opportunity for disadvantaged groups. We answer this question leveraging new data on 455 U.S. cities from 1900-1940 combining dates of reform-style government adoption, deanonymized census records, voter turnout, and municipal budget data. Using a difference-indifferences design, we document the impact of Progressive reforms on political participation, public goods spending, and the relative socioeconomic well-being of black, immigrant, and working class residents visa -vis whites, natives, and business elites. While voter turnout decreased in reformed cities, we uncover only modest increases in earnings inequality across more and less advantaged groups and no significant differences in expenditure patterns as a consequence of reform.
User Submitted?: No
Authors: Carreri, Maria; Payson, Julia; Thompson, Daniel M
Publisher:
Data Collections: IPUMS CPS, IPUMS Time Use - ATUS
Topics: Race and Ethnicity
Countries: