The impact of police unionization on municipal budgetary outcomes

This paper explores the potential impact of police employee unionization on municipal budgetary outcomes in a five state area of the southcentral United States. Utilizing municipal budget data taken from annual editions of The Municipal Year Book and unionization data gathered through a survey questionnaire, the research compares union and nonunion cities over time. Results indicate that police unions have exercised some influence on municipal budgetary outcomes, particularly in cities of 50,000-99,999 population.