Predicting New Urban Social Organization: Councils of Governments

Abstract

Abstract The appearance of Councils of Government (COGs) in metropolitan areas of the United States provides an opportunity to study the demographic conditions which favor the formation of new social organizations in urban areas. Selective characteristics of the 212 standard metropolitan statistical areas (SMSAs) were related to the two dependent variables of (1) the presence or absence of a COG in the SMSA in 1969 and (2) the year in which the COG was organized. Three propositions, derived from human ecology, functionalism and cultural lag theories, were tested to determine their ability to predict the formation of COGs in SMSAs, using demographic data. The analysis supports the propositions derived from human ecology and fuctionalism, but not the one from cultural lag. The results also show that there are systematic differences between regions in the relationships. This suggests that COGs are carrying out different activities in the different regions, and that these activities are related to the different stages of urban growth and development in the different regions. Research is now needed to ascertain the patterns of interorganizational relations which accompany these demographic changes.