9510553 Williams This doctoral dissertation research project investigates the causes and implications of the distribution of land use "bads" through zoning in cities. "Bads" are defined as land uses that produce negative spillovers to surrounding property. Using data from cincinnati, Columbus, Indianapolis, and Milwaukee, the project investigates the effects of electoral institutions on the distribution of land use bads and the politics of bureaucratic/legislative relations between the planning department and city council in distributing these policy outputs. The research also explores the efficiency implications of the distribution of land use bads. Efficiency of bad siting patterns is measured in two ways--the effect of bad siting patterns on property values, and the effect of bad siting patterns on the supply of public goods. This study is innovative and contributes to a larger theory of public policy distribution in two respects. First, it examines the distribution of bads instead of the more often-studied goods. Second, by studying distribution in cities, it is possible to take advantage of institutional variation that does not exist in the study of distribution in the United States Congress, where institutional structures are fixed. ***
