The Paradox of the Illiberal Cities
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.