The Resistance Threshold to the Amalgamation of Jurisdictions: MP’s Attitudes About Budget Control and Social Identification in the Swiss Cantons

Over time, territorial boundaries have become increasingly incongruent with functional public activities. To overcome the exiguity of the territory and take advantage of economies of scale, governments often engage in partnerships across jurisdictions to provide public services. Budgets are then earmarked to finance these joint ventures, eroding independent control over finances. Amalgamation have been one response to recover this lost control. However, locals tend to be reluctant to see their community merge with other communities. Based on a survey conducted among the members of parliament in two Swiss cantons, this exploratory study locates what we call the ‘resistance threshold’ to amalgamation. We define this ‘resistance threshold’ as the share of the budget earmarked to finance joint ventures above which the decision-maker considers amalgamation a viable solution to recover budget control, even if that merger might erode social identification.