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Free Trade and State and Local Government Since the 1990's, the United States has vigorously pursued and become a party to international trade agreements such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Traditional trade treaties are intended to open new commercial opportunities and technology sharing avenues which promote economic development by leveling the playing field. |
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Transfer of Development Rights Programs Local governments undertake transfer of development rights (TDR) programs to use the market to implement and pay for development density and location decisions. TDR programs allow landowners to sever development rights from properties in government-designated low-density areas, and sell them to purchasers who want to increase the density of development in areas that local governments have selected as higher density areas. |
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Business Improvement Districts Throughout the country and in cities such as New York, San Francisco, Cleveland and Philadelphia, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) have been able to maintain cleaner and safer streets, decrease storefront vacancy rates, and address social welfare issues. BIDs levy assessments on real property for specific improvements beyond which local governments can reasonably provide. They have been effective in reversing decline and promoting commercial development in urban areas. |
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Prison Privatization The movement towards the privatization of corrections in the United States is a result of the convergence of two factors: the unprecedented growth of the US prison population since 1970 and the emergence out of the Reagan era of a political environment favorable to free-market solutions. Since the first private prison facility was opened in 1984, the industry has grown rapidly; gross revenues exceeded $1 billion in 1997. This paper will examine the industry's growth in the US in recent decades, and its current scope. The evidence for and against claims that private prisons can realize gains in efficiency will be weighed, and implications of privatization for other public values including safety, justice, and legitimacy will be examined. |
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Corruption Corruption has been identified as a major barrier to economic and social development in developing countries, and considerable research as been done into the causes of and the solutions to corruption in these countries. Several factors that lead to or mitigate corruption in developing countries have been clearly identified: Revenue Proximity, Accountability, Information Transparency, Participation, Equality of Power/Wealth and Culture. In contrast, virtually no research as been directed at corruption in the context of the trends toward what is known as the New Public Management, or NPM. NPM is a new pattern of governance associated with the use of a wide range of different “tools” and with a reliance on third parties to manage and deliver government services. However, the factors of corruption identified by international research can be used to provide an environmental design framework to advise planners and public officials about the potential for corruption and how it can be mitigated with the NPM. |
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Contracting Back In While privatization is the most popular form of alternative local government service delivery, longitudinal analysis shows these contracts are not stable over time. From 1992 to 1997, 96% of all responding governments engaged in new contracting out, while 88% of all responding governments brought previously contracted work back in house. Over all, contracting back in is half the level of new contracting out. |
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Options
for County Nursing Homes in New York State
This is the product of several months of collaborative research between County Nursing Facilities of New York, Inc. (CNFNY), the Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA), and the Department of City and Regional Planning at Cornell University. Our goal in carrying out this research was to develop a better understanding of the current status of New York's county homes. Together we designed and administered three surveys for nursing home administrators and labor leaders. |
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Labor-Management Cooperation
As local governments nationwide struggle with demands for quality service delivery and fiscal constraints, they are employing a number of strategies. While these include privatization and intermunicipal cooperation, another technique that can lead to greater efficiency and cost savings is labor-management cooperation. The following background articles and special report examine some of the critical issues surrounding effective implementation of cooperative labor-management practices. |
Interactive and Searchable Databases |
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Contracting Back In
New survey evidence shows that public officials are finding that privatization has its limits. While contracting out continues to be widely used by many local governments, the practice of "contracting back in" - where governments choose to resume in-house production following a period of privately produced service - is becoming increasingly common. These are cases of local governments bringing previously contracted work back in- house. |
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Local Government Restructuring in New York
State
These pages contain information about service delivery restructuring among towns and counties in New York State, based on a survey completed in 1996 and 1997. The summary of survey results presents the key findings of the survey, accompanied by graphic illustrations. You can also search the database created from the survey results to find out more about specific instances of restructuring in New York State towns and counties. |
