THIS STUDY EMPLOYS DISCRIMINANT FUNCTION ANALYSIS TO TEST THE CAPACITY OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND REGIONAL VARIABLES TO PREDICT US CITY GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE-MAYOR VERSUS MANAGER GOVERNMENT, PARTISAN VERSUS NON-PARTISAN ELECTIONS, AND WARD VERSUS AT-LARGE CONCILSCONSTITUENCIES. AMBIGUITIES IN THE EXISTING LITERATURE REGARDING THE RELATIVE INFLUENCE OF ETHNICITY VS. REGIONALISM ARE CLARIFIED.
A MANDATE IS DEFINED AS A "LEGAL REQUIREMENT, CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISION, STATUTORY PROVISION, OR ADMINISTRATIVE REGULATION THAT A LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNDERTAKE A SPECIFIC ACTIVITY OR PROVIDE A SERVICE MEETING MINIMUM STATE STANDARDS." IN 1990, LOCAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IN FLORIDA AND WISCONSIN WERE SUCCESSFUL IN BRINGING UNFUNDED STATE MANDATES TO THE ATTENTION OF VOTERS. IN EACH CASE, THE VOTERS SIDED WITH THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT. IN ANTICIPATION OF A "MANDATE REVOLT" IN THE 1990S, THIS ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS THE EXPERIENCES OF FLORIDA AND WISCONSIN AND REVIEWS THAT MOST RECENT RESEARCH ON UNFUNDED STATE MANDATES. IT IDENTIFIES THE MAJOR HYPOTHESES THAT CAN BE DRAWN FROM THESE STUDIES AND EXPERIENCES.
This article examines the dynamics of the dismantling of a large US federal grant-in-aid program, the Public Service Employment Program (PSEP), to determine whether the same factors that affect program expansion affect program contraction, and in a similar manner. Specifically, an examination is made of: (1) the impact local fiscal and political pressures have on the reactions of three groups of local policymakers (elected officials; PSEP administrators; administrators of agencies employing PSEP workers); and (2) the relationship between these policymakers' reactions and changes in PSEP objectives. The units of analysis are forty-two local governments located across the USA (a representative sample). The time frame of the analysis is December 1979–December 1980—a period of rapid phaseout in the PSEP. The results show that the same factors which dictate the actions of different sets of policymakers during program expansion also determine their relative levels of involvement in the phaseout period and their policy preferences (PSEP objectives) during retrenchment. The findings also suggest that local governments with long histories of federal program participation have developed fairly sophisticated reactive strategies, since phaseouts are expected events in the lives of most federal programs. These reactive strategies vary according to the economic and political conditions existing at the time of the mandated phaseout.
Examines the impacts & implications of the aging nation & growing lack of interest in running for elective office at the FL municipal level, drawing on 1996 mail survey data from 312 city council members in 397 municipalities. Overall, Fl's councilors see the most age-based divergence on parks & recreation, taxes, growth, the economy/jobs, education, & government spending. Retirement-age council members are more likely than their younger counterparts to see generational differences among their constituents on crime, police, welfare, moral issues, & roads/highways. A council member's age is a significant independent predictor of constituent issue preferences more consistently than gender, race, party, or city size. More seniors are running for municipal office & winning. As this trend continues, the fabric of local-level politics in many jurisdictions can be expected to change, because seniors bring different life experiences, policy perspectives, & priorities to the council. 2 Tables, 26 References. Adapted from the source document.
Examines the impact of various structural arrangements on Hispanic city council representation in cities with 1980 populations over 25,000. The size of the Hispanic populations is the chief determinant of presence on city councils. Demonstrates that use of different population size thresholds to select units for analysis and differences in the methodological treatment of outliers produce different results. (Abstract amended)
