The political economy of territorial integration referendums

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State: Public
Version: Final published version
License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Serval ID
serval:BIB_5AF9C3B051AA
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
The political economy of territorial integration referendums
Journal
Territory, Politics, Governance
Author(s)
Strebel Michael A.
ISSN
2162-2671
2162-268X
Publication state
In Press
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Pages
1-21
Language
english
Abstract
When do political communities support territorial amalgamation in referendums? Existing research has identified heterogeneity between communities as a key hurdle for integration reforms. In this paper, I demonstrate that asymmetries between communities do not necessarily impede political integration. An analysis of 1500 municipal merger referendums held in Swiss municipalities since the new millennium shows that voters’ support for integration is lower when potential merger partners are poorer or larger than their own community. However, the effects of wealth and size differences are interdependent. They reinforce each other’s effect on merger support if they point in the same direction, for example, in a relatively rich and relatively small community, but they can also cancel each other out, for example, in a relatively small, but relatively poor community. These results have important implications for understanding under which conditions integration reforms are politically feasible.
Keywords
Political Science and International Relations, Geography, Planning and Development
Open Access
Yes
Create date
15/03/2023 11:37
Last modification date
19/07/2023 6:56
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