Jurisdictional Consolidation and Spatial Inequality in Service Access

Jurisdictional consolidation is often presented as a way to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of public service provision. While the literature is currently focused on potential consequences for average provision levels, little attention has been paid to assessing whether access may become more spatially uneven as a consequence of consolidation. Furthermore, if it does, are these effects driven by efficiency considerations or political bargaining power of larger pre-merger constituent jurisdictions? To answer these questions, we combine a database on all Swiss municipal mergers that have been implemented since the new millennium (N=372) with grid-level data (100 x 100 meter) on i.) travel distance to 27 different services, ii.) economic activity, and iii.) population statistics. Combining these data sources and using staggered difference-in-differences analysis comparing treated to almost-treated grid-cells, we do not find global effects on service access. Yet, we find clear evidence for a concentration effect of access to administrative services as well as an overall decline in public administration jobs. This effect is particularly pronounced in relatively small pre-reform municipalities. Further analyses show that administrative services relocate not to the optimal location in terms of average access but to pre-reform jurisdictions with higher bargaining power. These findings are important for discussions on local government reform as well as for research on service deprivation.