Court-ordered redistricting and the law of 1/n

Dongwon Lee () and Sangwon Park ()
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Dongwon Lee: Sungkyunkwan University
Sangwon Park: Hankuk University of Foreign Studies

Public Choice, 2018, vol. 176, issue 3, No 8, 507-528

Abstract: Abstract This paper examines the effect of redistricting on the law of 1/n, which posits that government spending increases with the number of legislative districts. Our analysis suggests that court-ordered redistricting in the 1960s significantly influenced the 1/n effect, because dividing districts (increasing their number) and merging districts (reducing their number) both reduce public spending. After redistricting, the positive relationship between seats and spending holds for lower chambers in bicameral legislatures. The US experience informs those interested in the design of bicameral institutions about the fiscal implications of legislative apportionment.

Keywords: Law of 1/n; Redistricting; Bicameral bargaining; Budget institutions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D72 H72 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11127-018-0579-4

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