The Parameters of Urban Fiscal Policy

The Parameters of Urban Fiscal Policy: Socioeconomic Change and Political Culture in San Francisco, 1860–1906 explores the intricate relationship between politics, socioeconomic development, and fiscal policy in a rapidly urbanizing San Francisco. Initially conceived as a social history, this work evolved into a nuanced examination of how municipal fiscal policies were shaped not only by structural socioeconomic forces but also by the strategies and ideologies of political actors. With a focus on municipal expenditures, taxation, and revenue, the book reveals how political culture and competition defined the parameters of fiscal decisions, challenging the assumption that urban public sectors are mere reflections of socioeconomic trends.

Through a combination of quantitative analysis and political history, the book uncovers surprising insights, such as the reluctance of 19th-century San Francisco politicians to expand public services, driven by an ingrained low-tax ethos and electoral strategy. This dynamic changed with the rise of progressive reformers in the 1890s, who reshaped fiscal policy to prioritize public investment. By bridging the "old" political history's focus on personalities and institutions with the "new" social history's structural analysis, this study provides a comprehensive understanding of how fiscal policy both reflected and influenced the city’s transformation during a pivotal era.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1986.