Special Projects

National and State Trends  Professor Warner's research on national and New York state trends in local government restructuring.

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.

Free Trade and State and Local Government  An overview of state and local government concerns about free trade. Case studies, resolutions and letters illustrate how state and local governments are asking for a balance between free trade objectives and local government authority.

Transfer of Development Rights  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.

Business Improvement Districts  While effective in promoting economic development, BIDs also raise important issues about governance and control over public space.

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.

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.

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. Background articles and a special report examine some of the critical issues surrounding effective implementation of cooperative labor-management practices.

Community Land Trusts: An Analysis of CLTs in Three Housing Markets  Community Land Trusts (CLTs) have been an emerging form of affordable housing provision nationwide. This paper addresses the varying challenges and opportunities of CLTs in three different housing market typologies.

Redevelopment Authorities  Since their inception, the purpose, power, and public acceptance of Redevelopment Authorities (RDAs) have been constantly evolving. This paper presents an analysis of 20th Century social, legal, and economic developments that have dramatically altered the landscape in which RDAs operate.

Bed Taxes and Local Tourism Development  Bed taxes - or taxes paid by hotels for rented rooms - are widely used by local governments as a way to raise revenue for local services by taxing visitors. This literature review examines the assumption the nature of this revenue source and its impact on the lodging industry.