The role of structure, function, and networks in explaining interlocal service delivery: A study of institutional cooperation in Michigan

Local governments are increasingly confronted by policy problems that span the boundaries of their individual political jurisdictions. Because structural reforms such as consolidated city-county government are rarely supported by the electorate, governing officials must consider alternative ways of managing transjurisdictional problems. Institutional collective action and administrative conjunctions theories posit the existence of a metropolitan macro-level structure comprised of overlapping networks and agreements that enable regional cooperation. This study sought to examine this theoretical macro-level structure and to assess the impact of social networks on the probability of interlocal service cooperation emerging between local government institutions.;The following set of inter-related questions are examined: (1) What factors explain the propensity of local governments to cooperate on service delivery? (2) Does the likelihood and extent of service cooperation differ by function? (3) Do social networks among local governing officials (administrative and elected) increase the likelihood of service cooperation? (4) How effective are small-scale regional organizations for facilitating cooperation among local governments and in what forms? These questions are investigated through a multi-method approach examining interlocal service cooperation at three distinct levels of analysis: the individual unit of government level, the policy network level, and the regional organization level.;Findings across this multi-level study indicate that interlocal service delivery is explained by a combination of functional, structural, and network influences. In terms of function, each of the three empirical analyses supports the Lifestyle Model of Metropolitan politics by confirming that cooperation on systems maintenance functions is more extensive than cooperation on functions that provide opportunities for social access.;This study concludes that voluntary interlocal agreements cannot entirely integrate a region because cooperation for social access functions is limited. When it does occur, it is among pairs of highly similar jurisdictions. Thus, the theoretical notion that a voluntary web of agreements can effectively manage policy problems with spillover effects may be true for systems maintenance functions, but not for social access functions. Findings do suggest however, that social networks of governing officials may enhance the likelihood of cooperation, even with regard to social access functions.