Specialized Local Government and Water Conservation Policy in the United States

Bibliographic Data

ID6404538
AuthorsDonna Switzer (0000-0002-9827-4194, University of Missouri, corresponding author), Jun Deng (0000-0002-8916-6503, University of Missouri)
Year2023
Volume59
Issue2
Pages611-629
Publication date2023-03-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueUrban Affairs Review (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1078-0874 • E-ISSN: 1552-8332
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/10780874221080122
OpenAlexW4302027442
LanguageEN
Citations received4
References cited52

Special districts are an increasingly important part of the local government equation in the United States, representing over forty percent of local governments. The spread of these governments is controversial, however, as some argue that they will have a negative impact on service delivery, due to a perceived lack of political accountability. Others argue that their focus on single policy issues allow them to more efficiently respond to the citizens they serve. Despite the controversy, only a few studies have quantitatively investigated the differences in service delivery between special district and general purpose governments. Building on Mullin's earlier work, in this research note we investigate the relationship between specialized local government and water utility rates. We find little direct difference between special districts and general-purpose governments, with some minimal support for a conditional relationship between special districts and scarcity

Accountability · Business · Economics · Government (linguistics · Local government · Political science · Politics · Public economics · Scarcity · Service (business · Service delivery framework · Work (physics · Economic and Environmental Valuation · Environmental Justice and Health Disparities · Law · Public Administration · Water resources management and optimization · Marketing

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