Does Local Autonomy Breed Leviathans? An Empirical Examination of All Cities in the United States

US states grant their local units different levels of autonomy in several dimensions including fiscal, functional, structural, and legal discretion. This study uses a comprehensive, multidimensional measure of autonomy to test its association with the fiscal behavior of over 19,000 municipalities in the United States. Competing theoretical predictions range from significant increases in government size (Leviathan model), to no effect (median-voter model), and even smaller governments (institutional collective action model). Quantile regression analysis is implemented to test the association between autonomy and fiscal behavior for different city sizes. The empirical findings indicate that cities with more autonomy tend to spend less and have lower taxes and debt. The strength of this relationship, however, varies by city size.

Integration of Policy Decision Making for Sustainable Land Use within Cities

Local land use policies can shape the sustainability of urban systems, but integrated land use at the local level is challenging since it requires the coordination of multiple semi-independent agencies within cities to effectively address collective actions problems and overcome functional divisions. Although this problem is widely acknowledged, systematic examination of what factors are related to internal coordination of land use functions is lacking. This research investigates what influences the extent to which cities coordinate across functional areas to promote integrative land use decision making. I address this question by first describing a conceptual framework drawing from institutional collective action (ICA) perspectives to understand internal city collaboration across policy functions. I then advance explanations linking institutions and community characteristics to the degree of coordination in municipal land use. Using a 2015 survey of 1124 U.S. cities, I test the hypothesized relationships based on the functional institutional collective action framework. The findings reveal that political institutions, city operation of utilities, elected officials support, and fiscal capacity increase coordination. In conclusion the implications of the findings for theory and land use planning research are discussed.

Coordination Effectiveness During Public Health Emergencies: An Institutional Collective Action Framework

This article draws on the institutional collective action (ICA) framework and data from a survey of senior public health and emergency management professionals in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex following the Ebola outbreak to investigate coordination effectiveness during public health emergencies. Based on the study findings, the article recommends that having an identifiable lead agency, official statements from local authorities, a conducive environment for informal conversations, and communication activities that inform, connect, and involve professionals is essential for an effective coordination. Practical implications of the study extend to how to mitigate collective action dilemmas with regard to coordinating COVID-19 pandemic responses.

From Neighbors to Partners: The Adoption of Interlocal Government Collaboration in the United States, 1977–2007

Local governments in the United States frequently collaborate with neighboring localities for service provision despite the high costs of this strategy. Using the Institutional Collective Action (ICA) framework, this article argues that a key explanation of interlocal collaboration lies in the way local leaders learn from the behavior of neighboring jurisdictions that collaborate, which alters the transaction costs of their own potential collaborations. Using a data set of financial transfers for 35,000 jurisdictions over a 30-year span, the article shows that localities are more likely to collaborate when a larger share of their neighbors collaborated in the past.

A Longitudinal Network Analysis of Intergovernmental Collaboration for Local Economic Development

Fragmented jurisdictions in a metropolitan area have found collaborating with others to be not only normatively appealing but also practically beneficial for reducing negative externalities from intense development competition. However, collaboration among communities could involve collective action dilemmas. As an alternative governance mechanism, jurisdictions strategically establish informal networks with others, depending on the conditions where jurisdictions are involved. This study focuses on the strategic behavior of individual jurisdictions for their economic growth: how autonomous jurisdictions have selected collaborative partners and how the collaboration has evolved over time. We apply an institutional collective action framework and a longitudinal network analysis using Simulation Investigation for Empirical Network Analysis (SIENA). The results indicate that, although there is strong evidence that jurisdictions create mutual and clustered relations with others in collaborative networks, there is relatively less for making ties to a popular actor. In addition, jurisdictions are more likely to collaborate with others who share similar political and socio-economic characteristics.

An analysis of intermunicipal consortia to provide waste services based on institutional collective action

This article analyzes the factors that affect local governments’ decision-making processes on whether to engage in cooperative agreements through intermunicipal consortia. Several studies have examined this issue in Western developed countries, but there is a gap in the literature regarding the phenomenon in the developing world. The research addresses this gap and observes the Brazilian local governments’ policies on waste services, focusing on cooperative agreements such as interlocal consortia. These arrangements may be a solution to the political and managerial challenges of providing public services in many areas, including waste collection, treatment, and disposal. However, it is still unclear what factors influence municipalities in their decision to cooperate. Based on cross-sectional research exploring 963 Brazilian municipalities and on the perspective of Institutional Collective Action, this study identified characteristics of communities, transaction characteristics of goods, and the structure of policy networks that influence the local governments in their decision to work cooperatively. The findings shed light on the field of public policies, particularly those carried out through intermunicipal consortia.

Uma análise dos consórcios intermunicipais para serviços de tratamento de resíduos sólidos a partir da ação coletiva institucional

This article analyzes the factors that affect local governments’ decision-making processes on whether to engage in cooperative agreements through intermunicipal consortia. Several studies have examined this issue in Western developed countries, but there is a gap in the literature regarding the phenomenon in the developing world. The research addresses this gap and observes the Brazilian local governments’ policies on waste services, focusing on cooperative agreements such as interlocal consortia. These arrangements may be a solution to the political and managerial challenges of providing public services in many areas, including waste collection, treatment, and disposal. However, it is still unclear what factors influence municipalities in their decision to cooperate. Based on cross-sectional research exploring 963 Brazilian municipalities and on the perspective of Institutional Collective Action, this study identified characteristics of communities, transaction characteristics of goods, and the structure of policy networks that influence the local governments in their decision to work cooperatively. The findings shed light on the field of public policies, particularly those carried out through intermunicipal consortia.