This research investigates why various mechanisms of cooperation among local authorities are chosen using the theoretical lens of institutional collective action (ICA). The article analyzes 564 local collaboration agreements drawn from four urban regions of China to explain the choices of environmental collaboration agreements among cities. Examples of three forms of interlocal agreements—informal, formal, and imposed agreements—are analyzed. Ordinal logistic regressions are estimated to test which factors predicted by the ICA framework influence the form of collaboration selected. The results indicate that the involvement of national or provincial government, the number of policy actors involved, heterogeneity of economic conditions, and differences in administrative level among the actors involved influence how collaboration agreements are structured. Examining the choice of agreement type contributes to the understanding of interlocal collaboration and provides practical insights for public managers to structure interlocal collaboration.

Regional Governance and Institutional Collective Action for Environmental Sustainability

The Institutional Collective Action (ICA) framework has contributed to understanding collective action problems in fragmented governance and identified mechanisms for overcoming them. Participation in collaboration is risky––even if it has the potential to make all parties better off. This framework has uniquely shown how collaboration risk and other transaction costs can be overcome to create effective collaborations for addressing complex policy issues. However, after over a decade of use, the framework is due for critical evaluation and articulation of its state of the art and science to better inform future scholarship. For this purpose, this article defines key concepts and formulates assumptions, as well as reviews the empirical contributions and longstanding limitations of the ICA framework. A robust agenda for future research is also outlined. To move forward, we believe ICA research should focus on the foundational core of the ICA framework, maintain flexibility in explanatory models, and expand the scope beyond the collective action problems at the local level.

Updating the Institutional Collective Action Framework

Following the 2015 Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in South Korea, this research aims to examine the structural effect of public health network explaining collaboration effectiveness, which is defined as joint efforts to improve quality of service provision, cost savings, and coordination. We tested the bonding and bridging effects on collaboration effectiveness during the MERS outbreak response by utilizing an institutional collective action framework. The analysis results of 114 organizations responding during the crisis show a significant association between the bonding effect and the effectiveness of collaboration, as well as a positive association between risk communication in disseminating public health information and the effectiveness of collaboration.

https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc993952/m2/1/high_res_d/ijerph-14-01064.pdf

Public Health Network Structure and Collaboration Effectiveness during the 2015 MERS Outbreak in South Korea: An Institutional Collective Action Framework

Researchers interested in statistically modeling network data have a well-established and quickly growing set of approaches from which to choose. Several of these methods have been regularly applied in research on political networks, while others have yet to permeate the field. Here, we review the most prominent methods of inferential network analysis---both for cross-sectionally and longitudinally observed networks including (temporal) exponential random graph models, latent space models, the quadratic assignment procedure, and stochastic actor oriented models. For each method, we summarize its analytic form, identify prominent published applications in political science and discuss computational considerations. We conclude with a set of guidelines for selecting a method for a given application.

Statistical Inference in Political Networks Research

Abstract Recent studies suggest that influence of contextual conditions and cooperative arrangements on interlocal cooperation should be best understood as part of configurations. This study enriches this nascent perspective by developing a configurational theoretical framework and explores how contextual conditions (institutional proximity, geographic proximity, organizational proximity) and cooperative arrangements (goal interdependence, resource complementarity, collaborative structure) combine to influence interlocal cooperation in economic development. A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis is used to analyze 34 interlocal industrial parks (IIPs) in the Yangtze River Delta of China. The results show two first-order equifinal configurations and six second-order configurations that lead to the success of IIP. The findings underscore that success conditions of interlocal cooperation in economic development work in configurations, not in isolation, and contribute meaningfully to debates pertaining to specific conditions.

What Drives Interlocal Cooperation in Economic Development? A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of Interlocal Industrial Parks in China’s Yangtze River Delta

This article examines how monitoring mechanisms embedded in interlocal agreements (ILAs) are associated with vertical and horizontal intergovernmental relations. The authors hypothesize that ILAs established by local governments with higher-level governments are likely to rely on a clearly specified set of rules to establish an administrative structure, whereas ILAs established by local governments with other local governments rely on associational benefits to ensure that policy preferences are aligned across multiple political boundaries. The article examines ILAs established by small town, county, and municipal governments in Denton County, Texas, for the provision of emergency medical, police, and fire services. Findings show that more than half of the ILAs specified a financial reporting system, but an almost equal percentage did not contain features requiring financial records to be available for audit by a third party. Quadratic assignment procedure correlation analysis confirmed the presence of cross-monitoring mechanisms and showed that the patterns of ILAs tend to cluster around a geographic space.
Practitioner Points
Monitoring mechanisms embedded in interlocal agreements (ILAs) matter, highlighting the important managerial functions played by frontline officers drafting ILAs.
The rules embedded in ILAs are important not only for encouraging intergovernmental cooperation but also for reducing the risks associated with contract failures.
With the increasing number of ILAs, local government officials need to consider various types of ILAs that are suitable to meet jurisdictional interests and policy preferences.

Intergovernmental Cooperation in the Provision of Public Safety: Monitoring Mechanisms Embedded in Interlocal Agreements

Theories of institutional collective action argue that the benefits of interlocal agreements flow to individual localities through mutual exchanges that otherwise would not take place (Feiock, 2007). However, the importance of ILAs generally lies in intangible resources that cannot be quantified such as social norms, obligations, and trust. To unpack their benefits, we examine interlocal agreements established by municipalities cities and small towns in Denton County (Texas) that are charged with public safety functions such as EMS, police, and fire services. The objective of this paper is to examine whether formalized relationships---vertical and horizontal---signal something of value to individual localities. Using social network analysis, we hypothesize that ILAs established by local governments with a higher level of government are likely to have restrictive contracting features; while ILAs established by local governments with other local governments are less likely to have restrictive contracting features. While the former relies on associational benefits or group affiliation in order to ensure that activities and policy preferences are aligned across multiple political boundaries, the latter relies on restrictive or a clearly specified set of rules to establish an administrative body. Our research has implications for the study of local contracting and cost savings in the provision of local services.

Interlocal Agreements and Contractual Ties: The Importance of Non-Hierarchical Structure in the Provision of Local Services in Denton, Texas

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Intergovernmental Cooperation in the Provision of Public Safety: Monitoring Mechanisms Embedded in Interlocal Agreements

Interlocal Agreements and Contractual Ties: The Importance of Non-Hierarchical Structure in the Provision of Local Services in Denton, Texas