American Local Governments Research Articles

Historicizing Latin American urban politics and governments

ABSTRACT Existing studies about the politics of southern cities, particularly Latin American cities, need to pay more attention to the political institutions behind urban governance. These institutions, additionally, were not created by design but are a product of intertwined historical processes. This article analyzes the main features and transformations of Latin American local governments, their politics, and governance, looked at from the angle of their historical formation. Mobilizing arguments from urban studies and political science usually developed apart, I start with the legacies of two intertwined historical processes—urbanization(s) and state formation(s)—to later observe their recent transformations since the recent return(s) to democracy. The reconstruction of these intertwined historical trajectories and of the effects of the present democratic period help to jointly explain the most important features of the politics of local governments in Latin America that influence their governance and actions—capacities, political grammars, actors, and coalitions—as well as their recent transformations.

Who Governs Now?

Abstract Conventional wisdom holds that local democracy is more responsive because it is closer to the people. Political science research suggests we should not be so optimistic. Scholars have long been studying American local governments, but, for a generation the field was relegated to the sidelines of political science. A new generation of scholars is bringing it back to the center, using an increasingly sophisticated set of research methods. Sarah Anzia has been a leader in this field rebirth, and her new book, Local Interests: Politics, Policy, and Interest Groups in U.S. City Governments, examines how local interests groups engage in local political decision-making, shaping electoral outcomes and policy. Her sharp, highly quantitative analysis identifies what factors make engagement and influence by local interest groups more likely. When read alongside classics in the literature as well as the new generation's emerging work, scholars and engaged practitioners alike can understand why the most optimistic views of local democratic action are unrealistic. Some of the same democratic shortcomings in representation and responsiveness that occur at the national level are also present in local politics. But the renewed interest in local analysis presents opportunities for scholars to learn from other fields and for local actors to build new organizations and institutions to increase the quality of local democracy in the United States. This essay assesses what is gained and lost in the quantitative rebirth of local politics analysis and how the field as a whole can continue to focus on the core issues of democracy, inequality, and public policy that will keep the field fresh and relevant.

LocalView, a database of public meetings for the study of local politics and policy-making in the United States

Despite the fundamental importance of American local governments for service provision in areas like education and public health, local policy-making remains difficult and expensive to study at scale due to a lack of centralized data. This article introduces LocalView, the largest existing dataset of real-time local government public meetings–the central policy-making process in local government. In sum, the dataset currently covers 139,616 videos and their corresponding textual and audio transcripts of local government meetings publicly uploaded to YouTube–the world’s largest public video-sharing website–from 1,012 places and 2,861 distinct governments across the United States between 2006–2022. The data are processed, downloaded, cleaned, and publicly disseminated (at localview.net) for analysis across places and over time. We validate this dataset using a variety of methods and demonstrate how it can be used to map local governments’ attention to policy areas of interest. Finally, we discuss how LocalView may be used by journalists, academics, and other users for understanding how local communities deliberate crucial policy questions on topics including climate change, public health, and immigration.

A reflection of changing priorities? The reallocative impact of priority‐based budgeting in US municipalities

AbstractImplemented in over 200 North American local governments, priority‐based budgeting (PBB) reflects a contemporary attempt to systematically determine and implement desired budgetary reallocation. The study utilizes a lagged dependent variable alternative to difference in difference analysis to examine reallocation patterns for 32 early‐adopting US cities before and after PBB implementation. The findings suggest that PBB fulfills its promise, as low‐priority departmental budgetary allocations shrink by 2%–3% following PBB implementation. These PBB early adopters offer evidence that PBB can effectively transcend the marginal, transactional nature of incremental budgeting practices; however, its effectiveness must be weighed against potentially substantial costs of implementation.

An empirical analysis of capital assets condition ratio in local governments: the case of Florida counties

PurposeThe main purpose of this paper is to examine the political, economic and institutional determinants of capital assets condition ratio in American local governments using government-wide financial statements.Design/methodology/approachBased on capital assets data from the period of 2011–2016 for the 66 Florida counties as reported on their government-wide financial statements, the authors use a panel two-way fixed effects estimation and a dynamic panel generalized method of moments estimation.FindingsThe authors find that social-economic factors, fiscal capacity and democratic voters explain the capital assets condition ratio in Florida county governments.Research limitations/implicationsThe major findings of this study may only apply to county government in one single state. It may raise the issue of the external validity of our research. It provides policy recommendations for local public officials to maintain and upgrade their capital assets.Originality/valueThe study utilizes a new approach of capital assets condition ratio to measure county government investment in capital assets based on the government-wide financial statements.

Bought in? The contingent effect of stakeholder support upon strategic implementation success in American municipalities

ABSTRACT Strategic management scholars recognize the importance of stakeholder support for implementation. While they have assessed different stakeholder groups, research examining temporal and contextual aspects lags; masking contingent effects and limiting tailored guidance for practitioners. This study explores stakeholder management in American local governments by isolating the impact of support from various stakeholder groups upon four types of strategic initiatives during each implementation phase. The findings suggest that no particular configuration of stakeholders is consistently most vital to strategic implementation; instead differing coalitions are most effective in a given implementation phase and/or situational context – endorsing a contingent perspective of stakeholder management.

Reassessing the Property Tax

The property tax is the single largest source of revenue for American local governments. It is designed to be an ad valorem tax. The fairness and accuracy of the tax hinges on the quality of property valuation by local assessors. Using data from millions of residential real estate transactions, this paper shows that assessments are typically regressive, with low-priced properties being assessed at a higher value, relative to their actual sale price, than are high-priced properties. Within a jurisdiction, homes in the bottom decile of sale price face an assessment level, as a proportion of price, that is twice as high as that faced by homes in the top decile, on average. As a result, the property tax disproportionately burdens owners of less valuable homes. Such regressivity is evident throughout the US. This result cannot be explained by measurement error in sale prices, or by explicit policy choices, such as assessment limits. Rather, regressivity appears to result from limitations in the data and methods used in assessment.

Cyberattacks at the Grass Roots: American Local Governments and the Need for High Levels of Cybersecurity

AbstractThis article examines data from the first‐ever nationwide survey of cybersecurity among American local governments. The data show that these governments are under constant or near‐constant cyberattack, yet, on average, they practice cybersecurity poorly. While nearly half reported experiencing cyberattacks at least daily, one‐third said that they did not know whether they were under attack, and nearly two‐thirds said that they did not know whether their information systems had been breached. Serious barriers to their practice of cybersecurity include a lack of cybersecurity preparedness within these governments and a lack of adequate funding for it. The authors make recommendations to local governments to improve their cybersecurity practice and to scholars for additional research into local government cybersecurity, an area that, to date, has largely been neglected by researchers from the social sciences and computer science.

Cybersecurity at the Grassroots: American Local Governments and the Challenges of Internet Security

Abstract In this paper, we examine cybersecurity challenges faced by America’s local, governments, including: the extent of cyberattacks; problems faced in preventing attacks from being successful; barriers to providing high levels of cybersecurity management; and actions that local governments believe should be taken to improve cybersecurity practice. Our research method consisted of a focus group of information technology (IT) and cybersecurity officials from one American state. Our findings indicate that cyberattacks are constant and can number in the tens of thousands or more per day. While our participants noted that while they were not perfect at it, they felt that they had cybersecurity technology under good control. Their biggest challenge is human – that is, end-users who make mistakes or engage in misconduct. Local governments face several barriers in providing high levels of cybersecurity, including: insufficient funding and staffing; problems of governance; and insufficient or under-enforced cybersecurity policies. Participants suggested several ways to improve local government cybersecurity, including: vulnerability assessment, scanning and testing, cybersecurity insurance, improving end-user authentication and authorization, end-user training and control, control over the use of external devices, and improved governance methods, among others. We conclude by making suggestions for further research into local government cybersecurity.

Exploring dialogic strategies in social media for fostering citizens’ interactions with Latin American local governments

Although the benefits of social media for enhancing citizens’ interactions with their local governments are well known in a more global context, few studies have focused on Latin America, or on the MERCOSUR countries in particular. This paper examines the use of dialogic strategies in the social media activities of local governments in MERCOSUR countries in order to generate citizens’ online engagement. Analysis of this question enhances our understanding of the use of social media by local governments in less developed countries and highlights the need for empirical evidence on the use of dialogic communication theory regarding stakeholder engagement with social media. The findings obtained reflect the positive influence of dialogic strategies on citizens’ online engagement, particularly those based on dialogic loop, useful information and generation of return visits, aimed at fostering participation via social media.

The Comfort Women Controversy: Not Over Yet

During the World War II, up to 200,000 women, the majority of whom were Korean, were forced to provide sex to Japan’s military forces. The perceived refusal of Japan to fully take responsibility for the mistreatment of these “comfort women” has been a major obstacle to Japanese-Korean relations for a quarter of a century. Although the signing of the December 28, 2015 Agreement between Japan and Korea purported to “finally and irreversibly” solve the comfort women issue that has divided these two East Asian powers, the voices of Korean and Korean-American civil society indicate the contrary. American local, county, and state governments have become key battlegrounds in the conflict. As comfort women memorials across the USA proliferate, these governmental entities have allowed themselves to be caught up in incomplete narratives, whether Japanese or Korean. Against the backdrop of the tense geopolitics of today’s Asia-Pacific, a more responsible, comprehensive inquiry is needed to bring closure to a tragic chapter of human history.

Municipal Websites

In this paper the authors draw on Scott's (2006) work on e-government and democratic theories to examine how governments engage their citizens online. The three theories they focus – representative, pluralist, and direct – are the most prominent in the democratic theory literature. Using data from the 200 American local governments, they examine two research questions: What factors drive governments to employ each theory? Which theory predominates in the implementation of e-government? Our assumption is that providing answers to these two questions will help set the stage for future research linking e-government and democratic theory.

E-democracy at the American grassroots: Not now … not likely?

Using data from two national surveys conducted in 2006 and 2011, we empirically examine whether, and the extent to which, grassroots or local governments in the United States have adopted electronic democracy e-democracy. We contrast this empirical reality against the claims made by e-democracy advocates. The survey results show that few American local governments have adopted e-democracy, particularly meaningful elements through which citizens can actively participate in governmental activities, programs and decision-making. Even fewer local governments plan to do so in the near future. These empirical results are highly inconsistent with the claims of e-democracy advocates. Based on the survey results, we conclude that two important reasons account for the lack of e-democracy at the American grassroots: lack of funding to support e-democracy applications and lack of perceived demand for e-democracy. A third important factor may well be the fact that early predictions were, for various reasons, incorrect. Based on these findings, we would expect that e-democracy at the American grassroots will not be substantially different in the foreseeable future than it is now.

E-participation in local governments

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to examine factors that explain top governmental officials' support for e-participation in American local governments, and to examine the impacts of e-participation adoption on local governments in the USA. Design/methodology/approach – This study utilizes a national survey of e-participation among US local governments, which examines factors that predict greater political-managerial support for e-participation and factors associated with positive impacts from e-participation. Findings – This research found that demand was the most important factor predicting political-managerial support for e-participation and impacts. Research limitations/implications – This study produced somewhat limited results partly because relatively few of the responding governments had adopted any significant number of e-participation activities. A second limitation is that the authors took a quantitative approach to e-participation supports and impacts, which did not enable them to tease out some of the more subtle nuisances of e-participation adoption and its impact on government. A third limitation is that the authors conducted the research only on governments at the local level in one nation. Practical implications – Local governments should ensure top level (elected and appointed officials) support for e-participation for it to be successful. Citizen demand, formal planning, and taking e-participation are seriously also associated with adoption and positive impacts. So, local governments should consider these factors when developing e-participation. Originality/value – This study is first to examine the impacts of e-participation adoption on local governments in the USA.

Assessing a place in cultural planning: A framework for American local governments

In the last 30 years, numerous studies have sought to define cultural planning. A common theme that emerges is the emphasis on the need to create a planning process for “placemaking” purposes. However, the definition of what a place is remains vague. Using administrative boundaries, this study draws a framework that formulates an operational definition of place that helps to connect spaces to empirical data about their cultural resources and residents. The focus on administrative boundaries is particularly relevant to understand American cities whose territories have a tangled morphology. Using Geographical Information System, this framework is then applied to assess the current situation in Madison, Wisconsin. The results suggest that the use of this framework could help policy makers to assess the texture of their territory in its administrative, cultural and social dimensions.

Systemy pomiaru wyników działalności organizacji publicznych – praktyka samorządów europejskich i amerykańskich

Systemy pomiaru wyników działalności organizacji publicznych – praktyka samorządów europejskich i amerykańskich

Local E‐Government in the United States: Transformation or Incremental Change?

In this article, the authors address the recent trajectory of local e‐government in the United States and compare it with the predictions of early e‐government writings, using empirical data from two nationwide surveys of e‐government among American local governments. The authors find that local e‐government has not produced the results that those writings predicted. Instead, its development has largely been incremental, and local e‐government is mainly about delivering information and services online, followed by a few transactions and limited interactivity. Local e‐government is also mainly one way, from government to citizens, and there is little or no evidence that it is transformative in any way. This disparity between early predictions and actual results is partly attributable to the incremental nature of American public administration. Other reasons include a lack of attention by early writers to the history of information technology in government and the influence of technological determinism on those writings.

A Fire Bell in the Night: Unfunded Liability and Local Government Retiree Health Care Benefits

This paper reports on a survey on retiree health care benefits in the American local governments. With GASB 45 requiring reporting of their unfunded liabilities for other (non-pension) post employment benefits, local governments are now challenged with a dilemma of finding funds or reducing benefits. The survey examines perceived effects of health care benefits on human resources goals (recruitment, retention, and retirement), the current structure of local government retiree health care programs, and measures under consideration and/or adopted to deal with retiree health care costs. Survey results show that the local governments have adopted cost containment strategies and cost-sharing programs. With financial options limited, programmatic choices focus on termination, cost shedding, cost-sharing, and preventive and wellness. They have slowly begun to introduce preventive medicine and wellness efforts while continuing with further cost sharing. A few local governments have even begun to contemplate major cost shedding options (although very few are considering terminating benefits).

Commentary on “PBB in American Local Governments: It's More than a Management Tool”

Commentary on “PBB in American Local Governments: It's More than a Management Tool”

PBB in American Local Governments: It's More than a Management Tool

Despite academic findings that performance information seldom is used in appropriations decisions, many professional organizations and governments continue to press for integrating performance information into local public management, planning, and budgeting processes. Is it possible to reconcile such inconsistencies? Looking beyond the executive–legislative relationship and departmental appropriations, the author examines the budget implications of applying performance information at the subdepartmental program level. Case analysis of Indianapolis’s IndyStat initiative underscores that performance measurement application is positively related to intradepartmental program budget changes. Hence, performance‐based budgeting (PBB) can improve local budgeting despite severe political constraints. Still, successful use of PBB requires strong executive leadership, and its effects remain less visible at the departmental level or within the wider political arena of legislative bargaining. The author concludes by recommending some rethinking of the current analytical focus of PBB both in future research as well as recommended practice.