Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Local governments are under increasing pressure to maintain services while saving money. One mechanism for such economies is coordinating services with other municipalities, but local-government officials have often resisted such coordination. Overcoming this resistance requires understanding the factors that contribute to support for regionalism by local officials. Several forms of regional coordination exist, each with its unique impact on localities, and if the factors responsible for support by local officials for one form of regional coordination are indeed different from those responsible for other forms, then general conclusions on how to enhance this support could be misleading. The results of a survey of local officials in Virginia regarding alternative roles for regional councils confirm the predicted differences in models of support. Local officials' support for regional council involvement in service provision is primarily a function of previous council activities, with technical assistance to localities (e.g., plan preparation and providing training) being particularly constructive. Support by local officials for councils playing a regional leadership role, in contrast, is associated more with problems of the region-such services as housing and transportation appearing most critical. These findings help refine our models of the dynamics responsible for support for regional cooperation by local officials and provide practical suggestions for developing unique regional arrangements appropriate for the particular problems a region faces.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Achen, C. H. (1982). Interpreting and using regression. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.

Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations . (1966). Metropolitan councils of government. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office.

Aron, J. B. (1969). The quest for regional cooperation. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

Atkins, P. S. (1981). [Report] Intergovernmental news, 5(2), 5.

Atkins, P. S. , & Wilson-Gentry, L. (1993). State funding support and regional council durability: Initial test on the influence of folklore assumptions. Paper presented at the Urban Affairs Association 23rd Annual Meeting, April 24,1993.

Bender, L. G. , Browne, W. P. , & Zolty, T. C. (1987). The new federalism and substate regionalism: Changing perceptions of rural officials. Publicus, 17, 161-174.

Bowman, A. , & Franke, J. L. (1984). The decline of substate regionalism. Journal of Urban Affairs, 64, 51-80.

Darlington, R. B. (1990). Regression and linear models. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Company.

Degrove, J. M. (1982). State-local relations: The challenge of new federalism. National Civic Review, 71, 75-83.

10.

Dodge, W. R. (1989). The emergence of intercommunity partnerships in the 1980s. National Civic Review, 78, 5-15.

11.

Dodge, W. R. (1990). Regional problem solving in the 1990s: Experimentation with local governance for the 21st century. National Civil Review, 79, 354-366.

12.

Fox, J. (1991). Regression diagnostics. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications.

13.

Gage, R. W. (1992). Sector alignments of regional councils: Implications for intergovernmental relations in the 1990s. American Review of Public Administration, 22, 207-225.

14.

Hawley, A. , & Zimmer, B.G. (1970). The metropolitan community, its people and government. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications.

15.

Honadle, B. W. (1982). Interlocal cooperation. National Civic Review, 71, 362-374.

16.

ICMA Committee on Regional Councils . (1989). Results of the survey of municipal and county chief administrative officers.

17.

Lyons, W. E. , & Lowery, D. (1989). Governmental fragmentation versus consolidation: Five public-choice myths about how to create informed, involved, and happy citizens. Public Administration Review, 49, 533-543.

18.

Mandell, M. R. (1988). Intergovernmental management in interorganizational networks: A revisited perspective. International Journal of Public Administration, 11(4), 393-416.

19.

McClintock, C. (1990). Administrators as applied theorists. New Directions in Program Evaluation, 47, 19-33.

20.

Morrill, R. L. (1989). Regional governance in the United States: For whom? Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 7, 13-26.

21.

O'Brien, N. K. (1986). Virginia's planning districts: Past achievements and future prospects. News Letter, University of Virginia Institute of Government, 62, 65-70.

22.

Parks, R. B. , & Oakerson, R. J. (1989). Metropolitan organization and governance: A local public economy approach. Urban Affairs Quarterly, 25, 18-29.

23.

Phares, D. (1989). Bigger is better, or is it smaller? Restructuring local government in the St. Louis area. Urban Affairs Quarterly, 25, 5-17.

24.

Ruchelman, L. I. (1991). Metropolitan development in Hampton Roads, Virginia. Virginia Geographer, 23(2), 1-17.

25.

Smith, R. L. (1979). Interlocal service cooperation and metropolitan problems: A note on attitudinal and ecological forces. Publicus, 9, 89-100.

26.

Smith, R. L. , & Kohfeld, C. W. (1980). Interlocal service cooperation and metropolitan areas: The impact of councils of governments. Midwest Review of Public Administration, 14, 83-94.

27.

Tyer, C. B. (1977). Local government officials' receptivity toward substate regional planning. Midwest Review of Public Administration, 11, 182-196.

28.

Walker, D. B. (1987). Snow White and the 17 dwarfs: From Metro cooperation to governance. National Civic Review, 14-28.

29.

Wallis, A. D. (1992). New life for regionalism? Maybe. National Civic Review, 19-26.

30.

Warren, R. , Rosentraub, M. S. , & Weschler, L. F. (1988). A community services budget. Urban Affairs Quarterly, 23, 414-431.

31.

Weick, K. E. (1979). The social psychology of organizing. New York: Random House.

32.

Wright, D. S. (1990). Federalism, intergovernmental relations, and intergovernmental management: Historical reflections and conceptual comparisons. Public Administration Review, 50, 168-178.

Determinants of Local Governmental Support for Alternative Forms of Regional Coordination

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References