Alexandra Artiles, assistant professor of political science, published an article in American Politics Research examining local officials’ opposition and resistance to state government attempting to limit local authority (state preemption).
Leveraging two original survey experiments, she found that local officials’ reactions depend on which political party controls the state government. If the state government is controlled by the opposite party (for example, a Republican state and a Democratic city), local officials are more likely to oppose the state’s actions. Similarly, if the state government is controlled by the same party, opposition is less likely.