Explaining Burden Reduction in Municipal Service Delivery: The Case of Streamlined Electric Vehicle Charger Permitting in California

Abstract

Administrative burdens are deliberate policy choices, as governments can proactively design rules and procedures to shape burdens experienced by citizens. While existing research has examined the effects of burden reduction strategies, less is known about the factors driving burden reduction actions at the local level. This paper investigates why city governments adopt streamlining ordinances to reduce burdens in permit service delivery, focusing on the electric vehicle charging station permitting process. Using data from 482 California cities between 2015 and 2023, we find that cities with stronger fiscal capacity, more climate-concerned, and whiter populations are more likely to institutionalize burden reduction practices in streamlining ordinances. Contrary to expectations, neither mass political ideology nor political leader (mayoral) partisanship has a significant impact on municipal permitting reforms. Our findings demonstrate how capacity constraints, distributive politics, and policy-specific constituency preferences jointly shape local governments' willingness to reduce burdens in public service delivery.