ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to examine simultaneously in a single research design both the objective and subjective nature of local service delivery under alternative institutional arrangements. A very large body of literature has developed concerning the alleged impacts of cross-district busing, the consolidation of central city and suburban schools to achieve racial balance, and the use of public choice approaches as vouchers and magnet schools that must compete for students. Aside from the general assertion that more integrated and preferably totally consolidated systems of local government in urban areas will lead to more focused responsibility, few specific guidelines are offered in the civic reform literature about the political consequences of their recommendations for organizing local governments within our urban areas. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
