| One of the long-standing questions in urban services research is: What determines agency response---formal rules, socio-economic status, or politics? Why does trash get picked up faster in certain neighborhoods than in others? Why do some neighborhoods have an autumn leaf pickup service while others do not? I ask why response time varies across electoral districts (wards) and across their intersection with neighborhoods. I argue that political influence determines who gets what. A case study of Saint Louis, Missouri is presented. Findings include: faster response times tend to correlate with higher percentages of white population, while slower response times tend to correlate with higher percentages of African-American population. Other measures that impact responsiveness across neighborhoods include neighborhood association longevity and the condition of housing stock. |
