Julia Payson | Political Science (original) (raw)
When Cities Lobby tells the story of what happens when city officials rely on professional lobbyists to represent their interests in state government. The ability to lobby can be a powerful tool for city leaders seeking to amplify local voices in state politics, and many of the most active city lobbyists are large urban centers that have historically been underrepresented in our federal system. But high-income places have also figured out how to strategically use lobbyists---and these communities have become particularly adept at lobbying to secure additional grant money and shift state funding in a direction that favors them. How did we end up with a system where political officials in different levels of government often choose to pay private lobbyists to facilitate communication between them, and are the potential benefits worth the costs? When Cities Lobby demonstrates that the answer is deeply rooted in both the nature of the federal system and the evolution of the lobbying industry. And while some states have recently debated measures to restrict lobbying by local governments, these efforts will likely do more harm than good in the absence of substantial reform to the lobbying industry more generally.
Available from Amazon and Oxford University Press
Winner of the Christopher Z. Mooney Best Dissertation in State Politics and Policy Award (2018)
Replication code and data here
Interviews and Media Coverage
Why Cities Lobby. Can they afford not to? The Amazing Cities and Towns Podcast, August 7, 2023.
A big chunk of lobbying in Mass. is not tracked. Common Wealth Magazine, May 6, 2023.
The infrastructure lobbying frenzy is just getting started. Politico, November 6, 2022.
As Washington opened the money spigots, Minnesota towns hired D.C. lobbyists. MinnPost, June 21, 2022.
Cities regularly hire lobbyists. It pays off for the richest cities. The Monkey Cage, April 1, 2022.
Why Are Cities Hiring Lobbyists? Not Another Politics Podcast, March 30, 2022.
Book Reviews
Choice, 2023.
Local Government Studies, 2023.
Publius, 2022.
Perspectives on Politics, 2022.
You can view and download my CV here.