The Power of Participation

The uneven distribution of urban services has been the subject of debate in the urban studies literature, and yet no consensus has been reached upon its determinants. This article reexamines this puzzle by looking at variation in post-Hurricane Katrina building permit issuance in New Orleans. Focusing on the potential effect of civic competence on urban service delivery patterns, I test a hypothesis that the number of building permits and the speed of permit issuance are positively associated with the degree of community participation in local politics. Results indicate that local political participation not only contributes to increasing the number of permits but also facilitates the permit issuance process.