Local Governance and Partisan Realignment: The Cobb County Cityhood Cluster

Authors

David R. Shock, Kennesaw State UniversityFollow

Volume Number

51

Issue Number

1

Abstract

This article assesses the causes of four cityhood efforts in Cobb County, Georgia, during the time period of 2019-22. Previous studies on the causes of cityhood efforts across the U.S. found that dissatisfaction with county government, worries about demographic changes, and annexation fears primarily spurred efforts. However, in Cobb County, a different factor, that being a general fear of Democrats assuming power at the local and state levels, led to the mobilization of efforts for new cities. This paper argues that John Kingdon’s (1984; 1995) “policy window” concept best explains the rise of the Cobb County cityhood attempts. Democratic Party gains at the local county and state levels in recent elections potentially means that the policy window for new cities in Cobb County to be approved by state government could be closing in the near future.

Recommended Citation

Shock, David R. (2023) "Local Governance and Partisan Realignment: The Cobb County Cityhood Cluster," Journal of Political Science: Vol. 51: No. 1, Article 2.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/jops/vol51/iss1/2