The question of whether there has been a significant shift to local autonomy is addressed by examining changes in the fiscal structure of local government in general and in two specific grant programs in particular: social welfare and roads. The change in policy since the early 1970s is that of more discretion over grants allocated to local government. National standards of performance of local government, however, have emerged through "quasi-governmental" but private associations of governmental employees. The cor relations between socialist party control of local government and more expenditures for social welfare and nonsocialist party control and more expenditures for roads indicate some local political influence over local programs. But any conclusion that greater formal control of resources means greater local discretion over expenditures awaits further developments and more research on the full range of local programs.