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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Urban Studies and Planning

Wayne State University

Series

Municipal

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 3 of 3

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Explaining Horizontal And Vertical Cooperation On Public Services In Michigan: The Role Of Local Fiscal Capacity, Jered B. Carr, Elisabeth R. Gerber, Eric W. Lupher Aug 2007

Explaining Horizontal And Vertical Cooperation On Public Services In Michigan: The Role Of Local Fiscal Capacity, Jered B. Carr, Elisabeth R. Gerber, Eric W. Lupher

Working Group on Interlocal Services Cooperation

Michigan local governments engage in a wide range of cooperative activities. Little is known, however, about what factors motivate local governments to engage in intergovernmental cooperation and how local government officials choose among various forms of collaboration. We develop and test a theory of intergovernmental cooperation that explains differences in the factors that lead local governments to engage in horizontal cooperation with other local units versus vertical cooperation with county or state governments. Our primary focus is on fiscal capacity: we hypothesize that limited fiscal capacity leads many local governments, especially townships, to work collaboratively with state or county actors …


Explaining Local Government Cooperation On Public Works: Evidence From Michigan, Kelly Leroux, Jered B. Carr Jan 2007

Explaining Local Government Cooperation On Public Works: Evidence From Michigan, Kelly Leroux, Jered B. Carr

Working Group on Interlocal Services Cooperation

In recent years, analysts have begun to study cooperation on public services among local governments. These studies have often concluded that services with scale economies are likely candidates for shared service delivery. This article contributes to the emerging literature on this topic by examining interlocal service arrangements for ten public works services in Michigan. Despite the fact that public works exhibit substantial scale economies, many local governments do not cooperate on these services. Empirical studies of local government contracting suggest four groups of factors that may help explain why local governments opt to collaborate on public services: local economic factors, …


Catalog Of Local Government Services In Michigan, Eric Lupher Sep 2005

Catalog Of Local Government Services In Michigan, Eric Lupher

Working Group on Interlocal Services Cooperation

The Citizens Research Council announces the release of the Catalog of Local Government Services. The Catalog is the result of a survey sent to the governments of 670 counties, cities, villages, and counties in 24 Michigan counties. The surveys asked which services are provided to residents of each community, and if the services are provided, whether they are provided by the units themselves, through cooperative arrangements, by another unit, or by contract. Responses were received from about 70 percent of the units contacted. The data show that Michigan cities, villages, and townships cannot be characterized in simple terms. The menu …