Gaps in state funding mean that liberal cities in conservative states are more likely to lobby the federal government

When we hear the term 'lobbying' we tend to think mostly in terms of corporations and ideological groups working to influence policy outcomes at the state and federal level. But cities are often lobbyists too. In new research, Rebecca Goldstein and Hye Young You examine the causes and consequences of lobbying the federal government by American cities. They find that liberal cities in conservative states such as New Orleans, Tucson, and Houston were the most likely to lobby, a trend that they explain may be down to gaps between how much these cities and their states spend on public services and infrastructure.