Much research has been done on the causes of metropolitan consolidation and its rarity. However, the causes of metropolitan fragmentation are rarely considered. Without considering the reasons for fragmentation, it is difficult to make wise decisions, especially when state policies granting power to local governments cause fragmentation. This article proposes that city formation follows a niche model, much like the formation of interest groups, and that the factors governing interest group origination also affect city formation. To form, cities need residents, resources and entrepreneurs to come together such that a new city can be affordably created. It tests this theory against data from the US Census of Governments and other sources, and finds that Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA’s) fragment differently from non-MSA counties, state grants of local power increase fragmentation, and more resources allow for more fragmentation. It concludes with a discussion of the results and how they should influence urban policy.
While ties between Protestants and anticlerical Liberal parties were common throughout Latin America during the nineteenth century, the resolution of the church-state conflict in most countries by the early twentieth century resulted in the near complete disappearance of these alliances.
Using historical analysis and survey data, this article demonstrates that Mexico is an exception to this rule, as the evangelical vote continues to be shaped by the perception and reality of Catholic anti-Protestant persecution. Mexico's anomalous status is explained as a result of the intensity and late resolution of the church-state conflict, ongoing sectarian violence, and the PRI becoming both a dominant party and the best electoral option for evangelicals
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