Political entrepreneurship and the formation of special districts

Alexander Fink; Richard E. Wagner

doi:10.1007/s10657-010-9216-5

Political entrepreneurship and the formation of special districts

European Journal of Law and Economics ◽

10.1007/s10657-010-9216-5 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 35 (3) ◽

pp. 427-439 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Alexander Fink ◽

Richard E. Wagner

Keyword(s):

Special Districts ◽

Political Entrepreneurship

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Work Culture in Political Entrepreneurship: An Exploratory Study

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.2834428 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Trilok Kumar Jain

Keyword(s):

Exploratory Study ◽

Work Culture ◽

Political Entrepreneurship

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Rationale for Special Districts

Midwest Review of Public Administration ◽

10.1177/027507406700100208 ◽

1967 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 125-126

Author(s):

Joseph Cepuran

Keyword(s):

Special Districts

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A note on collective goods and the theory of political entrepreneurship

Public Choice ◽

10.1007/bf01718808 ◽

1973 ◽

Vol 16 (1) ◽

pp. 73-75 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Jeffrey Richelson

Keyword(s):

Collective Goods ◽

Political Entrepreneurship

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The Continuing Problem of Special Districts in American Government

Accounting and the Public Interest ◽

10.2308/apin-10076 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 52-67 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Larita Killian

Keyword(s):

New York ◽

Local Governments ◽

Census Bureau ◽

Three Dimensions ◽

The Public ◽

Reporting Practices ◽

Special Districts ◽

Theoretical Perspectives ◽

Policy Alignment ◽

Definition Of

ABSTRACT Due to fiscal constraints and demands for increased accountability, scholars and public officials are reviewing the structure and reporting practices of local governments. These efforts are often incomplete, however, because they bypass special districts, which now comprise over 40 percent of all local governments. The proliferation of special districts has the potential to increase government costs, redirect the allocation of scarce resources, remove debt and expenditure practices from the public eye, and reduce democratic controls over elected officials. This paper highlights some of the public interest concerns related to these entities to inform future, localized research. For decades, scholars have approached special districts from two opposing theoretical perspectives: institutional reform and public choice. Literature from these opposing perspectives is used to analyze special districts along three dimensions: efficiency and economy of operations, policy alignment and allocation of resources, and democratic accountability. This paper uses the U.S. Census Bureau definition of special districts, though alternative definitions are discussed. Efforts by four states (Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana, and New York) to improve local government, and their varying approaches to special districts, are reviewed, leading to the conclusion that the complex issues related to special districts must be resolved within state contexts.

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