Access Type
Open Access Dissertation
Date of Award
January 2025
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Brady Baybeck
Abstract
Throughout the United States, there are hundreds of metropolitan areas. For myriad reasons, the number of local governments within each metropolitan area varies. Some scholars argue that having too many local governments leads to inefficiencies and inequities for the metropolitan area as a whole and for its central city in particular (e.g., Wood, 1958; Dreier et al., 2014). Others maintain the opposite. They contend that having more local governments leads to greater competition between municipalities for citizens and businesses. This, in turn, keeps service costs low, leads to lower taxes, and provides greater choice for citizens in terms of places to live and taxes paid for services provided (e.g., Tiebout, 1956; Schneider, 1989). Whatever stance one takes on the matter, municipal fragmentation – defined here as the number of local governments within a metropolitan area – has an impact on the lives of citizens throughout each metropolitan area in the U.S.
Further, within each metropolitan area, there are numerous local law enforcement agencies providing a needed and valuable service – protecting the citizens of their jurisdiction and enforcing the jurisdiction’s laws. As with the number of local governments, there is variation in the number of local police departments serving citizens within each metropolitan area. I define this concept as police jurisdictional fragmentation.
My research focuses on municipal fragmentation and police jurisdictional fragmentation and examines whether they have an impact on traffic stops within a metropolitan region and/or any bearing on racial disparities in said traffic stops. By looking into the traffic stop patterns and disparities, my research helps paint a fuller picture of the everyday experiences of metropolitan area residents in the United States, experiences that shape how they view the world and how they interact with it. It also provides a unique view of fragmentation’s effect on equity in public services.
Recommended Citation
Bulat, John, "The Connection Between Fragmentation And Traffic Stops" (2025). Wayne State University Dissertations. 4149.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/4149