Interlocal Agreements
Cities are turning to new models of service delivery, ranging from two party contracts to complex networks for service delivery. My research explores the adoption, oversight and termination of new service delivery models and cooperative agreements to share services among local government. In addition to understanding new service delivery models, we must understand the governance of these models, including the methods of accountability that link service delivery, through elected boards, to the public. Because of this, my research on interlocal agreements has given special attention to the roles of city councils and elected officials in the process of governing interlocal cooperation.
A County Manager’s Guide to Local Government Service Collaboration
Dr. Daryl Delabbio and I completed a study of the strategies and practices that county government officials use to develop shared services and interlocal agreements with other local governments. The research involved in-depth interviews with county officials around the country. Their best practice recommendations are synthesized in our report, “A County Manager’s Guide to Shared Services in Local Government,” for the IBM Center for the Business of Government.
Local Government Service Organization and Interlocal Cooperation in California
Local governments in California have a rich history of interlocal contracting, and much can be learned from their experience. From 2008 to 2012, I collected a variety of data about local government service organization and interlocal agreements in California. Through a series of papers, I investigate cities' rational for interlocal contract adoption and termination, and explore elected officials perceptions of shared services. First, an article in Urban Studies uses an original survey from the San Francisco Bay Area to assess how local elected officials think of their roles in interlocal politics. This paper provides a foundation for applying institutional role theory to the study of interlocal cooperation. Next, I explore the termination of interlocal contracts for police service in California cities. This article in The American Review of Public Administration sheds light on a phase of interlocal contracting that is not often explored. Please check back in the near future for links to additional publications related to this work.
Local Decisions About Intergovernmental Relations
For my dissertation research at Indiana University, I completed a study of local decisions to adopt interlocal agreements. The project was guided by a typological theory of interlocal agreement decisions based on stimuli for collaboration, perceptions of benefits from collaboration, and perceptions of potential partners. I conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with a random sample of city council members in Michigan. The project also included a series of comparative case studies of police dispatch agreements and P.A. 425 Conditional Land Transfer Agreements. Research papers from this project were published in The American Review of Public Administration, Public Administration Review, and State and Local Government Review.
Last updated: October 2017
Cities are turning to new models of service delivery, ranging from two party contracts to complex networks for service delivery. My research explores the adoption, oversight and termination of new service delivery models and cooperative agreements to share services among local government. In addition to understanding new service delivery models, we must understand the governance of these models, including the methods of accountability that link service delivery, through elected boards, to the public. Because of this, my research on interlocal agreements has given special attention to the roles of city councils and elected officials in the process of governing interlocal cooperation.
A County Manager’s Guide to Local Government Service Collaboration
Dr. Daryl Delabbio and I completed a study of the strategies and practices that county government officials use to develop shared services and interlocal agreements with other local governments. The research involved in-depth interviews with county officials around the country. Their best practice recommendations are synthesized in our report, “A County Manager’s Guide to Shared Services in Local Government,” for the IBM Center for the Business of Government.
Local Government Service Organization and Interlocal Cooperation in California
Local governments in California have a rich history of interlocal contracting, and much can be learned from their experience. From 2008 to 2012, I collected a variety of data about local government service organization and interlocal agreements in California. Through a series of papers, I investigate cities' rational for interlocal contract adoption and termination, and explore elected officials perceptions of shared services. First, an article in Urban Studies uses an original survey from the San Francisco Bay Area to assess how local elected officials think of their roles in interlocal politics. This paper provides a foundation for applying institutional role theory to the study of interlocal cooperation. Next, I explore the termination of interlocal contracts for police service in California cities. This article in The American Review of Public Administration sheds light on a phase of interlocal contracting that is not often explored. Please check back in the near future for links to additional publications related to this work.
Local Decisions About Intergovernmental Relations
For my dissertation research at Indiana University, I completed a study of local decisions to adopt interlocal agreements. The project was guided by a typological theory of interlocal agreement decisions based on stimuli for collaboration, perceptions of benefits from collaboration, and perceptions of potential partners. I conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with a random sample of city council members in Michigan. The project also included a series of comparative case studies of police dispatch agreements and P.A. 425 Conditional Land Transfer Agreements. Research papers from this project were published in The American Review of Public Administration, Public Administration Review, and State and Local Government Review.
Last updated: October 2017
