The Paradox of the Illiberal Cities
NOVEMBER 01, 2001 by ALEX MOSELEY
Alexander Moseley is currently between university appointments and working on two academic books and a novel.Cities have often been the bastions of enlightened living that abolish the prejudices which taint rural life. But while urban residents may be free from the invasive gossip and restrictive social codes of conduct that characterize small towns and villages, that does not mean that they are imbued with the philosophy of freedom or the will to defend it. In fact the opposite is increasingly becoming the case as city populations expand economically and demographically.
The clash between the liberal (libertarian) countryside and the illiberal city has come to a head in my country, England, where an urban majority seeks to give urban ramblers “freedom to roam” at will over private land at the same time as it seeks the abolition of hunting (with fishing next on the agenda).
Urban populations typically vote for greater government control and hence more interference than rural populations do. The paradox is that city people are less restrained, yet they seek political interference in their own and others’ lives.
A superficial resolution of this paradox comes from public-choice theory in economics, in which people’s voting habits are examined from the perspective of the costs and benefits accruing from the various political programs that they vote for. City life brings greater and more visible opportunities for public works: from public transport, water and sewage systems, roads and bypasses to schools, hospitals, and fire and police stations.
Urban populations, so relatively cramped together, perceive the benefits of a uniform infrastructure, which they can all use at marginally little extra cost. This is particularly so, however, when the cities and towns are subsidized by the central government or by business taxes, and the full cost of such programs does not fall on the voter. Businesses notably are milked as cash cows, for their owners do not receive more votes than other citizens for the greater amount they pay in taxes. Thus socialized systems will flourish in urban environments, and politically, therefore, urban groups are more likely to seek government intervention as the panacea for all their concerns.
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