Local Blocking and Appeals for Assistance

Abstract

Chapter 7 examines the implications of local blocking for citizen strategies to access state services. It shows that non-co-partisans of local officials, who are more likely to be denied services locally, are also expected to make appeals to a larger number of potential intermediaries when attempting to access benefits from the state, than do co-partisans of local officials. It then establishes that high-level politicians are important alternative sources of assistance, particularly when individuals have difficulty accessing public benefits from their local elected official. Importantly, the chapter shows that those individuals who appeal to high-level politicians for assistance are, on average, more successful in acquiring their desired service than those who appeal to local politicians. Thus, local blocking is associated with an increased demand for assistance from high-level politicians.