In this study, the author outlines and tests the strong party organization (SPO) theory of urban fiscal politics. The theory states that cities governed by SPOs are better able to maintain fiscal discipline because they are less responsive to prospending interest groups. This case study of Chicago finds mixed support for the SPO theory. The informal centralization provided by the political machine may have enabled Mayor Richard J. Daley to adopt fiscally conservative policies. Post-machine regimes, however, have been only modestly successful in implementing expansionary fiscal policies, contrary to the predictions of the SPO theory. Several other patterns in Chicago's recent fiscal history are somewhat more consistent with the SPO theory.
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