# Local Political Economy Conference, APSA 2026 We are very excited to welcome people to the 2026 Local Political Economy pre-Conference. We will be meeting on the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) campus from 10am-7pm on **Wednesday, September 2nd**. Please let us know if you'd like to attend by filling out the [brief RSVP form](https://forms.gle/Zjcxj842X4f9thy88). Please feel free to share the invite with anyone you think would be interested in joining us, but tell them to RSVP so we have sufficient refreshments. Email us ([Jessica Trounstine](mailto:jessica.l.trounstine@vanderbilt.edu?subject=LPEC%20question), [Mirya Holman](mailto:mrholman@central.uh.edu?subject=LPEC%20question), [Justin de Benedictis-Kessner](mailto:jdbk@hks.harvard.edu?subject=LPEC%20question), [Maxwell Palmer](mailto:mbpalmer@bu.edu?subject=LPEC%20question), [Katherine Levine Einstein](mailto:kleinst@bu.edu?subject=LPEC%20question), [David Glick](mailto:dmglick@bu.edu?subject=LPEC%20question)) if you have questions. ## Location: - [Harvard Kennedy School](https://maps.app.goo.gl/Wz3cHPrxn4eapGac6) Taubman Building, 5th floor - Street address: 15 Eliot St, Cambridge, MA 02138 - All panel sessions will take place in the Nye conference room on the 5th floor of the Taubman Building - Reception and poster session will take place in the Bloomberg Center for Cities on the 3rd floor of the Taubman Building **Entry** All visitors must enter via the Wexner Building entrance at the back of the HKS courtyard (red arrows below). The Wexner entrance is open daily from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. You must present a photo ID to the security desk to be granted entry. Signage will direct you to the Nye Conference Center on the Taubman Building 5th floor. The Belfer and Taubman entrances to HKS are currently closed to visitors, but Harvard affiliates may scan a Harvard ID to enter via the Taubman entrance. ![map to Wexner entrance](/sites/g/files/omnuum4201/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/2026-06/bloomberg-center-for-cities-map.png?itok=AuXn32ru) ## Transportation: There are several transportation options from the main conference area. 1. The MBTA (the "T"). You can take a variety of buses and/or trains depending on where you are staying, but if you are staying in the main conference area in Back Bay you can take the #1 bus along Massachusetts Avenue northbound (towards Harvard Square) or the Green Line inbound to Park Street, where you can transfer to the Red Line towards Alewife and get off at Harvard Square. You can pay by credit card or phone by tapping your card/phone against the machine on board buses or at the fare gates in train stations. 2. Bikeshare (BlueBikes): you can purchase a day pass or a one-ride pass at any docking station kiosk or via the [BlueBikes smartphone app](https://bluebikes.com/how-it-works/get-the-app). There is a docking station directly outside the Taubman Building as well as several others in Harvard Square. 3. You can take an Uber/Lyft from the conference area (15-25 minutes depending on traffic). Direct ride-hail vehicles to 15 Eliot St. 4. The Harvard Square Parking Garage or the Charles Square Garage in the Charles Hotel are next to HKS ## Schedule: LPEC 2026 will take place on Wednesday, September 2. Papers will be posted here on August 26th (presenters, please [email](mailto:jdbk@hks.harvard.edu?subject=LPEC%20paper) your papers to Justin) Presentations should be ~12 minutes, with the rest of each time slot dedicated to the discussant (5-10 minutes) and Q&A with the audience in order to maximize feedback. Posters will be set up in the reception area (Taubman building 3rd floor) during our evening reception. Discussants for posters will talk to their poster presenters during this reception, and people will be able to view them throughout the reception. Sort**Time****Paper Title****Paper Author(s)****Discussant**10-10:30am How Sociotropic Aesthetic Judgments Drive Opposition to Dense Housing Development Chris Elmendorf, David Broockman, and Josh Kalla Mike Hankinson 10:30-11am Zoning for Votes: How Local Politicians Use Land-Use Regulations for Political Gain Adrian Pietrzak Jeremiah Cha 11-11:15am **Break** 11:15-11:45am Houses for the People, Power for the Gangs: Criminal Capture of Social Housing in Brazil Lucas Borba, Eduardo Mello, Dani Nedal, Daniel Rio Tinto, and Bruno Pantaleão Martin Vinæs Larsen 11:45am-12:15pm Criminal Governance and Public Goods Provision: A Framework for Analysis Isabella Montini and Eduardo Moncada Yanilda González 12:15-12:45pm Horizontal Bureaucratic Backlash: Prosecutors, Police, and the Politics of State Reform Brandon Romero, Charlotte Boucher, Mara Ostfeld, and Chelsea Waddell Becca Goldstein 12:45-2pm **Lunch** 2-2:30pm The Anti-Vice Squad: Local Organizations, Political Rights, and Legislative Action Christina Wolbrecht, Mirya Holman, and Michael P. Olson Anna Weissman 2:30-3pm Electoral Risk and Housing Supply Vincent Heddesheimer Zac Peskowitz 3-3:30pm **Break** 3:30-4pm Policy Diffusion in Local Governments: The Case of Data Centers Tyler Simko, Mason Reece, and Adam Rauh Graham Straus 4-4:30pm Political Behaviors Under Specialized Local Governments David Nguyen Mike Sances 4:30-5pm Bad Neighbors: The Electoral Effects of U.S. Prison Construction and Closures Amanda Weiss and Nicholas Ottone Jen Gaudette 5-7pm **Happy hour reception at the Bloomberg Center for Cities, Taubman Building 3rd floor, featuring posters:** Exposure to Homelessness and Support for Policy Remedies Alexander Sahn, Jacob Brown, and Adrian Pietrzak Charley Willison The Political Consequences of Police Shirking Arvind Krishnamurthy, Elisa Wirsching, and Dvir Yogev Daniel Naftel Using Public Safety to Solve Social Problems: Police Responses to Homelessness in U.S. Cities Charley E. Willison, Zoe Lindenfeld, Amanda I. Mauri Jessica Trounstine & Mirya Holman From Preference to Participation: Mobilizing Latent Supporters in Local Politics Clayton Becker Stephanie Ternullo Local Gerrymandering Dan Jones, Carlos Avenancio-León, and Ying Shi Tyler Simko Municipal Policy Knowledge and the Limits of Local Democratic Accountability E. Grant Baldwin Chris Elmendorf Redistricting in Local Governments Gustavo Novoa, Chris Warshaw, and Tyler Simko Adam Dynes Reducing Interest Group Influence: Assessing the Impact of Democracy Vouchers in Seattle Jennifer Gaudette Jessica Trounstine & Mirya Holman The Nationalization of Mayoral Elections Jonathan Elkobi Erik Peterson Do Municipal Leaders Understand the Economics of Housing? Katherine Levine Einstein, David Glick, and Maxwell Palmer Jessica Trounstine & Mirya Holman Local Alignment and Selection into Public Goods Kyle Van Rensselaer Vlad Kogan Fighting for Influence: The Political Economy of Firefighters’ Unions in U.S. Local Elections. Maria Carreri Jessica Trounstine & Mirya Holman Housing, Tenant Organizing, and Responses to America’s Political Economy Maya Nunez Jessica Trounstine & Mirya Holman The Voters' Veto: Local Racial Demographic Change and Exclusionary Behavior Michael Hankinson Jessica Trounstine & Mirya Holman Using MRP and the Voter File to Estimate Sub-Municipal Public Opinion Michael Leo Owens and Zachary Peskowitz Jessica Trounstine & Mirya Holman The Growth of Local Politics Research Michael W. Sances Jessica Trounstine & Mirya Holman Embedded and Entrenched: The Policy Influence of Non-Profit Service Providers Nicholas Ottone Michael Auslen Silent Exclusions: Experimental Evidence of Racial and Class Bias in Community Responses to Housing Development Rachelle Haynik, Daniel Jones, Rashad Williams Jessica Trounstine & Mirya Holman Policy Agendas, Participation, and Nationalization in American Local Government Samuel G.Z. Asher and Gregory J Martin Chris Warshaw Who Governs? Election Candidate Perceptions of Group Influence on Local Politics Zack Taylor, Martin Horak Jessica Trounstine & Mirya Holman