Suchergebnisse

Beginning in the late 1970s and accelerating during the 1980s, U.S. cities lost substantial federal assistance. This research identifies those cities that were especially dependent on federal transfer payments both before and after most of the cuts had been made. The authors also analyze changes in municipal fiscal behavior between 1975 and 1987. In 1975, the most aid-dependent places were central cities suffering both socioeconomic and fiscal stress. Only central city status and socioeconomic hardship were primary predictors of aid dependency 12 years later. The second stage of the analysis shows, unexpectedly, that the loss of federal funds was not a significant influence on the fiscal decisions made in this large group of cities.

A model of intergovernmental service contracting is tested for U.S. cities of 25,000 and over population. In this model, the decision process is assumed to be shaped by many of the same forces that affect contracting to the private sector, namely, cost considerations, fiscal pressures, and political influences. Considerable support is found for the model, although fiscal stress is not a major impetus for contracting with other jurisdictions. The presence of a city manager facilitates greater intergovernmental contracting, although restrictive state laws limit such arrangements. Above all, when local officials fear loss of service control, less intergovernmental contracting occurs.

This study is concerned with the effect municipal government structure has on intergovernmental contracting. In addition, the impact of four other types of factors on the decision to enter into intergovernmental arrangements is examined-supply (cost savings), fiscal pressures, political influences, and legal constraints. The analysis also distinguishes between two different types of intergovernmental agreements-complete service contracting and joint contracting. Based on a sample of 614 U.S. cities, the findings indicate that municipal governments with reform structures (e.g., council-manager form of government, at-large elections, nonpartisan ballots) are significantly more likely to engage in complete intergovernmental service contracting than their unreformed counterparts. When considering joint contracting with other governments, though, government structure does not appear to be an important factor.

Examines the effect of municipal government structure on intergovernmental contracting as revealed by a 1983 survey of 614 US municipalities.

The two principal factors defining the socioeconomic context of the US -- affluence & industrialization -- are updated for 1980. Analysis of US Census data from 1960, 1970, & 1980 reveals that the two dimensions reflect some changes, but in general seem to represent the same two basic characteristics that Richard I. Hofferbert identified as existing for the states as early as 1890 ("Socioeconomic Dimensions of the American States: 1890-1960," Midwest Journal of Political Science, 1968, 12, 4401-4418). Using path analysis, the continued usefulness of the two dimensions in predicting policy variations among the states is demonstrated. 3 Tables, 15 References. Modified HA