Bulletin n. 1/2016 | ||
June 2016 | ||
Joseph Lyons |
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Local Government Structure and the Co-ordination of Economic Development Policy | ||
in Canadian Journal of Political Science--Revue canadienne de science politique , Volume 48 - Issue 01 , 2015 , 173-193 | ||
This paper explores how local government structure affects policy co-ordination. It compares the delivery of economic development services in two Ontario cities. In London, a specialized agency is the lead, but lacks full functional control, while in Hamilton policy control is consolidated in a single municipal department. The findings support the hypothesis of those who argue in favour of general-purpose governments, as the municipal hierarchy in Hamilton was instrumental in achieving policy co-ordination. Proponents of specialization argue that it limits the need for co-ordination between governments but, as the London case demonstrates, this logic breaks down when there are too many players with too few responsibilities. | ||