Despite decades of research, our understanding of how institutional contexts
influence urban political participation remains muddled. It is argued here that
this confusion arises from the diversity of competing hypotheses, failures to
conceptualize the causal processes underlying these hypotheses thoroughly, and
the use of inadequate controls for rival hypotheses. A more comprehensive
specification of the relationship between metropolitan jurisdictional contexts
and two modes of participation is provided. After a presentation of a
theoretical framework organizing the many extant hypotheses, these are tested,
using survey data collected by the Knight Foundation from 2002 in twenty-five
urban counties. Contrary to prior work, it is found that the size of local
governments is positively associated with participation, while governmental
fragmentation diminishes the propensity for political action.