ABSTRACT
One of the more important aspects of the general field of local government finance is that of financing metropolitan government. To understand the significance and special characteristics of the problems involved it is useful to examine briefly the features of the metropolis which, from a financial viewpoint, set it apart from the local government scene in general. In the first place a metropolitan area is very large, if not absolutely, at least relatively to the size of other cities in any one country. 1 Secondly, a metropolitan area serves a large "catchment area"; and it is unlikely that there will be other cities of more or less equal size nearby. If there are, preferably they should be included in the one metropolitan conurbation unit; although the political difficulties of this are recognized. More typically the metropolitan catchment area will be larger than could be included conveniently within its political jurisdiction. A third characteristic is that a metropolitan area is generally subject to intense immigration. Nearly all cities in most countries tend to suffer to some extent from "urban drift" as the rural population seeks better jobs and improved amenities than are available in the villages; but the magnetic influence of a metropolis is abnormally strong.
