ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to highlight the important opportunities and challenges that a greater focus on public services implies for public leaders and policy makers across the country. A key question of regional economic and policy-related research is whether quality of life variations contribute to variations in the place-to-place cost of living. The chapter looks at the role of public services in variations of quality of life and how this role translates into variations in housing values and rents. The media frequently publish rankings of housing markets, indicating where consumers have to pay the most – or the least – for comparable housing. Contrary to the results for police protection, fire protection has no significant impact on housing values. Public expenditures on police protection at the county level typically involve spending on municipal police agencies, such as Sheriff's Offices or County Police Departments headed by a Chief of Police.
