Intergovernmental Sources of Innovation in State Administration

Abstract

A 1974 mail survey of top American state administrators provides an opportunity to analyze further a number of themes about sources of new ideas and program innovations in the states. Administrators in some functional policy areas (e.g., environmental pro tection) characterize their agencies as dependent upon the national government for new ideas, compared with other administrators (e.g., staff generalists) who characterize their agencies as dependent upon other states. Hierarchical cluster analysis uncovers some geo graphic regionalism in designations of specific states as the most innovative. Individual state reputations and the degree of consensus about who are the leaders also vary by policy area, but different definitions of policy area can lead to diverse conclusions. Adminis trators' perceptions of state innovation processes in 1974 seem to be linked less to state cultural environments and more to their functional roles and intergovernmental policy subsystems.

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