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Yearly Archives: 2016
SIAM Nominations Committee Seeks Candidates for Executive Committee
The SIAM Nominating Committee, chaired by Benoy Jacob and committee members David Hamilton and Patricia Shields, is seeking 3 candidates for the SIAM Executive Committee. The member positions are for a three-year term, 2017-2020. Please see our SIAM blog for the full list of Executive Committee members.
Our Bylaws govern the slate of officers, their responsibilities, and how elections are to be conducted. Please see Articles IV and V below.
ARTICLE IV. Officers and Their Responsibilities
Section 1.
The officers of SIAM shall be the Chairperson, Chairperson-elect, immediate Past-Chairperson, and nine (9) members of the board. The term of the Chairperson and Chairperson-elect shall be one (2) year term. The Chairperson-elect will assume the office of Chair upon the conclusion of the incumbent Chairperson’s two year term. The nine (9) members will serve staggered three-year (3) terms. These elective officers constitute the SIAM Executive Committee. The Chairperson-elect and members of the board will be elected by the membership as outlined in the procedures in Article V.
Any vacancies on the Executive Committee of less than one (1) year will be appointed by Chairperson, with the approval of the Executive Committee for the unexpired term of office.
Section 2.
The ASPA Executive Director or his/her designate shall serve as ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.
Section 3.
In consultation with the Executive Committee, the Chairperson appoints the Newsletter Editor, and special committees or task forces. With the approval of the Executive Committee, the Chairperson may appoint a Treasurer, Secretary and Membership Chair for the Section. The Treasurer, Secretary, Newsletter Editor and Membership Chair shall also serve on the Executive Committee. These officers may be selected among section members outside of the Executive Committee.
Section 4.
The Executive Committee is responsible for the overall performance and functioning of SIAM. Among its responsibilities will be the following:
A. Determining section dues, subject to approval by the ASPA National Council.
B. Approving section annual programs and budget.
C. Adopting positions on issues of relevance to section concerns.
1. Accepting donations, grants, and contracts for the section, subject to ASPA policy regarding this matter.
E. Serving on committees and/or Task Forces as deemed necessary by the Chair, or Executive Committee as a whole.
Decisions shall be taken by majority vote; in case of tie, the Chairperson’s vote shall prevail.
The Chairperson’s responsibilities will include: providing leadership to the Section; representing the Section; chairing the Executive Committee; presiding at section meetings; signing correspondence; supervising implementation of section programs and budget.
ARTICLE V. Elections
Section 1.
All members of the Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management shall have the right to vote for, and to be nominated to, SIAM elective off ices.
Section 2.
The following election procedures shall be followed:
A. The Chairperson will appoint a Nomination Committee of three (3) members at least four (4) months prior to the annual Section meeting.
B. The Nominating Committee will receive nominations and publish a slate of candidates at least three (3) months prior to the annual Section meeting.
C. The Nominating Committee receive additional nominations from the petition process up to two (2) months prior to the annual Section meeting; such additional nominations to be signed by 25 members of SIAM and accompanied by a statement from the nominee expressing interest and willingness to serve the Section.
D. Ballots will be distributed to the membership at least one (1) month prior to the annual Section meeting. Voting may occur through the distribution of a paper ballot, through email, or through the use of another online instrument. The method of voting will be announced to the membership when the slate of candidates is announced.
E. New officers will be announced at the annual Section meeting.
F. Newly elected officers will assume office at the beginning of the annual Section meeting, to be held in conjunction with the ASPA National Conference.
Please submit your nominations for the three Executive Committee Member positions to Benoy Jacob at benoy.jacob@unlv.edu by December 31, 2016.
SIAM Nominations Committee Seeks Candidates for Executive Committee
The SIAM Nominating Committee, chaired by Benoy Jacob and committee members David Hamilton and Patricia Shields, is seeking 3 candidates for the SIAM Executive Committee. The member positions are for a three-year term, 2017-2020. Please see our SIAM blog for the full list of Executive Committee members.
Our Bylaws govern the slate of officers, their responsibilities, and how elections are to be conducted. Please see Articles IV and V below.
ARTICLE IV. Officers and Their Responsibilities
Section 1.
The officers of SIAM shall be the Chairperson, Chairperson-elect, immediate Past-Chairperson, and nine (9) members of the board. The term of the Chairperson and Chairperson-elect shall be one (2) year term. The Chairperson-elect will assume the office of Chair upon the conclusion of the incumbent Chairperson’s two year term. The nine (9) members will serve staggered three-year (3) terms. These elective officers constitute the SIAM Executive Committee. The Chairperson-elect and members of the board will be elected by the membership as outlined in the procedures in Article V.
Any vacancies on the Executive Committee of less than one (1) year will be appointed by Chairperson, with the approval of the Executive Committee for the unexpired term of office.
Section 2.
The ASPA Executive Director or his/her designate shall serve as ex-officio member of the Executive Committee.
Section 3.
In consultation with the Executive Committee, the Chairperson appoints the Newsletter Editor, and special committees or task forces. With the approval of the Executive Committee, the Chairperson may appoint a Treasurer, Secretary and Membership Chair for the Section. The Treasurer, Secretary, Newsletter Editor and Membership Chair shall also serve on the Executive Committee. These officers may be selected among section members outside of the Executive Committee.
Section 4.
The Executive Committee is responsible for the overall performance and functioning of SIAM. Among its responsibilities will be the following:
A. Determining section dues, subject to approval by the ASPA National Council.
B. Approving section annual programs and budget.
C. Adopting positions on issues of relevance to section concerns.
1. Accepting donations, grants, and contracts for the section, subject to ASPA policy regarding this matter.
E. Serving on committees and/or Task Forces as deemed necessary by the Chair, or Executive Committee as a whole.
Decisions shall be taken by majority vote; in case of tie, the Chairperson’s vote shall prevail.
The Chairperson’s responsibilities will include: providing leadership to the Section; representing the Section; chairing the Executive Committee; presiding at section meetings; signing correspondence; supervising implementation of section programs and budget.
ARTICLE V. Elections
Section 1.
All members of the Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management shall have the right to vote for, and to be nominated to, SIAM elective off ices.
Section 2.
The following election procedures shall be followed:
A. The Chairperson will appoint a Nomination Committee of three (3) members at least four (4) months prior to the annual Section meeting.
B. The Nominating Committee will receive nominations and publish a slate of candidates at least three (3) months prior to the annual Section meeting.
C. The Nominating Committee receive additional nominations from the petition process up to two (2) months prior to the annual Section meeting; such additional nominations to be signed by 25 members of SIAM and accompanied by a statement from the nominee expressing interest and willingness to serve the Section.
D. Ballots will be distributed to the membership at least one (1) month prior to the annual Section meeting. Voting may occur through the distribution of a paper ballot, through email, or through the use of another online instrument. The method of voting will be announced to the membership when the slate of candidates is announced.
E. New officers will be announced at the annual Section meeting.
F. Newly elected officers will assume office at the beginning of the annual Section meeting, to be held in conjunction with the ASPA National Conference.
Please submit your nominations for the three Executive Committee Member positions to Benoy Jacob at benoy.jacob@unlv.edu by December 31, 2016.
Donald C. Stone Best Student Paper Award
The Donald C. Stone Best Student Paper Award recognizes the best paper on federalism and intergovernmental relations written by a graduate student in the last year (2016). Please email a copy the paper (no more than 20-25 pages, double-spaced) to Committee Chair Cali Curley at Curleyc@iupui.edu. Nominations will be accepted through January 16, 2016.
The awards will be presented at the SIAM Business Meeting during the ASPA National conference in Atlanta from March 17-21, 2017.
Job Posting: Podcast Coordinator for SLGR
State and Local Government Review (SLGR) is seeking applications and nominations for the position of Podcast Coordinator. SLGR is the official journal of the American Society for Public Administration’s the Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management (SIAM) of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and published four times a year by Sage Publications, Inc. Since 1968, SLGR has provided a forum for the exchange of ideas among practitioners and academics that contributes to the knowledge and practice of state and local government politics, policy, and management. Like SIAM, the journal has a keen interest not only in state and local government but also in the effective interaction among public officials in a federal system. It seeks to foster the dissemination of information about research and experience that contributes to the understanding and improvement of the intergovernmental system.
In 2011, SLGR decided to capitalize on the opportunities offered by the relatively new medium of podcasting in an effort to further the mission of both the journal and SIAM. At that time, this dynamic, cutting-edge technology was being utilized by only a few academic journals. We and our publisher remain excited about our decision to enter this newly emerging field and believe that the medium represents the wave of the future. To date, nine podcasts have been produced, and the feedback had been overwhelmingly positive from both practitioners and academics alike.
Podcasts are based on articles recently published in SLGR, with the audio files produced from them available through a link on the SLGR website. The primary responsibilities of the Podcast Coordinator are to plan for, develop, and direct/produce at least 3 podcasts per year. More specifically, this would entail identifying the articles to be highlighted in podcasts, having them approved by SLGR Editor and Managing Editor and then preparing an implementation plan for each podcast (i.e., lining-up participants, writing podcast scripts, determining the schedule and format, coordinating with the Editorial Assistant of Social Science Journals at Sage Publications to record podcasts, and directing/producing/serving as moderator, etc.). However, applicants do not need to have extensive technical or media skills or experience, since the people at Sage take care of all of recording and technical matters and details. The Coordinator reports directly to the Managing Editor of SLGR.
As a condition for appointment, SLGR would want at least a three-year commitment to serve in this capacity. While not a condition for selection as the Podcast Coordinator, preference may be given to candidates who are able to arrange with their university/college/department for the following commitments:
• One course release per year
• Work-study student 5-10 hours per semester
Applicants should send a letter of interest which includes a description of one’s qualifications for the position and commitments from one’s department/college/university to support the work of the Coordinator to the SLGR Managing Editor, J. Edwin Benton, via e-mail (jbernton@usf.edu). Inquires and questions should be directed to the SLGR Editor Michael Scicchitano at (352) 846-2874 or mscicc@ufl.edu.
A Resource Library for Cross-Sector Collaboration
The Intersector Project is a New York City-based non-profit organization that seeks to empower practitioners in the government, business, and non-profit sectors to collaborate to solve problems that cannot be solved by one sector alone. The Intersector Project takes forward several years of research in collaborative governance done at the Center for Business and Government at Harvard’s Kennedy School, and creates free, publicly available resources to help practitioners in every sector implement collaborative initiatives.
The Intersector Project has just created and released a new Resource Library, comprising hundreds of quality resources relevant to the field of cross-sector collaboration. The Library includes reports, scholarly and popular articles, books, cases, tools, and multimedia, and spans issue areas, partnership types, and scope (from local to international). You can learn more about how the Library was built here: http://intersector.com/resource-library-about/ and browse its contents here: http://intersector.com/resource/
Seeking Panel Participants – Water Use & Regulation
The call for conference submissions has been issued, and SIAM members are interested in creating a panel on water use/regulation, focusing on intergovernmental issues. Colorado River, The Great Lakes, Flint…and many other places and issues might be a part of this panel. If you would like to be a part of this panel, please contact Susan Paddock at spaddock1030@gmail.com by August 15 with a proposed title and focus of your presentation (please, just a brief description). We’ll put together a panel proposal for the 2017 conference in Atlanta. Contact Susan if you have any questions.
DEIL S. WRIGHT SYMPOSIUM 2017 CALL FOR PAPERS
The Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management (SIAM) invites scholars and practitioners to submit proposals for papers to be presented at the 4th annual Deil S. Wright Symposium. The symposium honors the career and contributions of Professor Deil S. Wright, who was a charter member of the Section and remained active until his passing in 2009. The Wright Symposium will be a preconference event held on Friday, March 17, 2017 at the national conference of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) in Atlanta, Georgia.
The theme of the all-day symposium is “Evidence-Based Intergovernmental Management: Knowledge at Work.” It will focus on U.S. federalism and comparative federalism. Through decades of research on federalism and intergovernmental relations, public administration scholars have generated knowledge about effective governance and management in federal systems. While the cumulative lessons of this research may be familiar to some, they have not been discussed widely by scholars or used by professional public managers. Today, public officials are expected to take evidence-based approaches to policy design and implementation, and the record of research evidence about what has worked and what has failed to produce desired results would be an invaluable resource. Scholars of federalism, intergovernmental relations, intergovernmental management, and collaborative management can help improve federal systems by providing meta-analyses and synthesizing evidence in the field to inform practice. The 2017 Wright Symposium provides an excellent forum for doing so.
Proposed paper topics are invited that would help scholars and government professionals better understand what we have learned from the cumulative research on intergovernmental relations and management. Papers are welcome to advance new research propositions, identify research gaps, or provide empirical evidence. The goal is to emphasize for public managers how evidence can be used to shape intergovernmental management practice. Topics might include, but are not limited to the:
- Design, accountability, and evaluation of intergovernmental grants and programs, including revenue sharing and fiscal equalization;
- Development of collaborative intergovernmental competencies or skills by federal, regional, state, and local public managers;
- Effectiveness of elected executives in managing intergovernmental relations in presidential and parliamentary federal systems;
- Effectiveness of intergovernmental, interjurisdictional, and intersectoral management networks;
- Value of intergovernmental institutions, such as the U.S. Advisory Commission on
Intergovernmental Relations, Council of Australian Governments, or the White House Office on Intergovernmental Affairs;
- Impact of federalism executive orders or presidential decrees on intergovernmental relations;
- Impacts of federal mandates and conditions attached to federal grants-in-aid;
- Effectiveness of regulatory waivers;
- Diffusion of evidence-based practices horizontally across constituent units such as states, provinces, and cantons;
- Performance of regional governments and organizations, such as consolidated or amalgamated local governments, metropolitan governments, councils of governments, and city-states;
- Advantages and disadvantages of optional forms of local government;
- Consequences of litigation for the authority of public managers in intergovernmental programs;
- Impacts of court orders, consent decrees, and other judicial interventions into intergovernmental relations.
Proposals for the symposium should be submitted by email to Carl Stenberg (stenberg@sog.unc.edu) before October 1. Proposals should be well developed and clearly demonstrate the ability to deliver a finished paper. The Wright Symposium planning committee – Ann Bowman, John Kincaid, Michael McGuire, Eric Zeemering, and Carl Stenberg — will review proposals and make decisions by October 22. Questions can be directed to committee members. Please circulate this call for papers among interested colleagues.
SLGR: Dr. Eric Stokan Appointed Outreach Coordinator, Volunteer Outreach Team Needed; Ann Bowman R&E article; more!
New Outreach Coordinator Post
SLGR has made significant strides in the past several years with respect to the number of subscribers, the number and quality of manuscripts to be considered for publication, and in its general visibility in the fields of political science, public administration, and public policy. Over the last several months, the editorial staff spent considerable time discussing ways to continue to promote the journal. The general consensus was that SLGR needed an individual who can devote his or her attention to promoting the journal and increasing its visibility. This will entail, but not limited to the following;
- Work with the SLGR Social Media Coordinator to develop a blog that has never been fully utilized.
- Contacting program directors in the U.S. and abroad, asking them to share with their faculty and students in the department/program the benefits of joining SIAM and subscribing to SLGR, publication assistance available to new faculty and graduate students through the Young Scholars Research Outreach Program, usage of SLGR podcasts in the classroom, and consideration of SLGR as an outlet for their research and a source for articles worthy of citation when preparing manuscripts. .
- Coordinate with/maximize the PR efforts of Sage Publications
- Engage with our international board members to increase the visibility of SLGR in other countries
- Engage with professional associations such as National League of Cities (NLC), National Association of Counties (NACo), and International City/County Management Association (ICCMA) to stress the relevance of SLGR to their membership and to search out ways that we can better partner with them.
The editorial leadership at SLGR is pleased to announce that Dr. Eric Stokan, an assistant professor of political science at Towson University, has agreed to lead this effort and serve as our first Outreach Coordinator. He completed his Ph.D. in the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University and his MA and BA in political science at Wayne State University. His teaching and research focuses on state, local, and metropolitan issues. Specifically, he focuses on governmental decisions to adopt and abandon economic development policies and the impact those policies have on city and regional economic growth. His recent publications have focused on the effects of business incubators, the role of deindustrialization across metropolitan areas, and on the decision of governments to adopt economic development incentives.
Join the Inaugural SLGR Outreach Team
State and Local Government Review is currently accepting applications to be part of its inaugural outreach committee. We are looking for 3-5 academics and practitioners who are interested in state and local government and governance issues. The team will be responsible for ensuring practitioners and academics that work in the area are familiar with the journal as a source of information and as an outlet for their own scholarly efforts.
Tasks and Responsibilities of Members
- Develop and Foster a Network of Scholars and Practitioners
- Review journals and conference proceedings to find academics and practitioners who would be interested in SLGR as an outlet for their research
- Promote the Young Scholar’s Program to junior faculty and advanced graduate students
- Promote Outreach via Social Media
- Write guest posts on the SLGR blog to connect target network with research from SLGR
- Use social media tools (Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) to reach audiences in real time regarding SLGR news and events
- Expand SLGR Readership
- Promote SLGR to academics and practitioners abroad
- Contribute to long-term outreach strategy
- As an inaugural member, you will help chart the way for future outreach endeavors
Benefits to Membership on Team
- Network with Other Junior Scholars
- Have access to other junior scholars who also teach and publish on state and local government and governance topics
- Create a community of information sharing regarding cutting-edge research taking place on these topics
- Access to Leaders in the Field
- Being a part of the outreach team provides unique access to the journal’s leadership
- Visibility in the area of State and Local Government
- As a member of the outreach team, you will increase your own visibility through recognition of your scholarly service contributions in:
- The SLGR blog when writing guest posts
- The Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management (SIAM) at the annual American Society of Public Administration (ASPA) conference
- Through the SIAM Newsletter
- As a member of the outreach team, you will increase your own visibility through recognition of your scholarly service contributions in:
If you are interested in being an inaugural member of this team, please send a brief description (500 words or less) description of your interests and outreach ideas, along with a copy of your CV by September 16, 2016 to Eric Stokan at Ericjstokan@gmail.com.
Social Media
We’re working to increase the visibility of State and Local Government Review and especially to involve SIAM members. You can get the latest SLGR news and updates by following us on twitter (@SLGReview) and by liking our Facebook page (facebook.com/SLGReview), where we share and discuss current SLGR OnLine First articles and related blogs and news articles. You can also join the conversation by following our new blog (slgrjournal.wordpress.com), which features SLGR news and information and is launching a special summer blog series on publishing. We’d love to hear from you, if you have comments, suggestions, or would like to contribute a piece to the blog, please contact our Social Media Coordinator, Tracy Johns, at tjohns@ufl.edu.
Free Classroom Aids!
We want to remind you that SLGR has produced a growing number of podcasts which could serve as excellent teaching aids in both the undergraduate and undergraduate classroom. Topics range from state and local government debt financing to civic engagement in times of fiscal stress to collaboration among local governments as a means of adapting to the New Normal to management experience in small cities. Please check out our catalog of podcasts [https://siam-aspa.net/2016/07/28/state-and-local-government-review-podcasts-available-now/].
Assistance Needed
We continue to need your assistance and that of your colleagues in several crucial areas. First, you can assist us in generating greater visibility for SLGR by signing up for e-mail alerts and encourage others to also do so. Please consider doing that today, since it only takes a minute. SLGR will send you an email each time a new issue publishes, and you can also add alerts for Online First articles or journal announcements. Visit http://slg.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts to create an account with your email address, and click on the alert types you’d like to receive. SAGE won’t use your email address for any other marketing purposes, but only to send you information on SLGR.
A second area in which you can help us is to cite SLGR articles where possible. Since SLGR was purchased by Sage Publications, Inc. in early 2010, getting SLGR listed in the Thomson Citation Index has been a major goal. Achievement of this objective will assist in raising not only the visibility of the journal but will also put us in a more esteemed category of blind-refereed academic journals. You and your colleagues can help us in achieving this objective by citing, where relevant and appropriate, SLGR articles when you prepare papers and articles.
Hot Item!: Ann Bowman’s R&E Article
In case you might have missed reading it, the Reviews & Essays (R&E) installment (Volume 48, Issue #1, March 2016) by R&E Editor Brianne Heidbredder is definitely a “must” read [http://slg.sagepub.com/content/48/1/63.abstract]. The article is predicated on a lengthy conversation that Professor Heidbredder had with leading scholar, Ann Bowman (she holds the Hazel Davis and Robert Kennedy Endowed Chair in government and public service at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University). In light of the reality that the operation and study of state and local government and politics has undergone a significant transformation in the last several decades, Professor Bowman was asked to discuss the past, present, and future of state, local, and intergovernmental research. While the essay was not intended to be an exhaustive examination of the “state” of the state, local, and intergovernmental literature, it nonetheless does explore various interesting lines of inquiry that deserves continued scholarly attention and discusses the potential for research to inform practice.
State and Local Government Review Podcasts available now!
“Small-City Management Experience: Does It Matter for Getting and Keeping the Large-City Managerial Job?” (October 2011)
Author James Thurmond (University of Houston) discusses his article (December 2010, Vol. 42, No. 3) with SLGR Managing Editor J. Edwin Benton and graduate students Crystal Davis (Texas A&M University), Nijah Fudge (University of Kansas), and Edgar Freeman (University of Baltimore).
***
“Governance Challenges and Options for State and Local Governments” (February 2012)
SLGR Social Media Editor Beverly Bunch (University of Illinois, Springfield) interviews author Bruce J. Perlman (SLGR Governance Matters Editor and University of New Mexico) and panelists John Thomasian (Principal, Black Point Policy Solutions LLC and formerly the Director of the Center for Best Practices at the National Governors’ Association), Jackie Byers (Director of Research and Outreach at National Association of Counties), and Christopher Hoene (Director for the Center on Research and Innovation at National League of Cities) about their article (December 2010, Vol. 42, No. 3).
***
“Local Government Diversity Initiatives in Oregon: An Exploratory Study” (November 2012)
SLGR Social Media Editor Beverly Bunch (University of Illinois, Springfield) interviews author Masami Nishishiba (Portland State University) and panelists Anthony Sisneros (University of Illinois, Springfield) and Omar Small (assistant city manager in New Rochelle, New York) about Nishishiba’s article (April 2012, Vol. 44, No. 1).
***
“Addressing Remnants of the Past: Proactive Responses to Equity Issues in Public Administration.” (May 2013)
SLGR Social Media Editor Beverly Bunch (University of Illinois, Springfield) interviews author Steven F. Spina (University of South Florida and city manager in Zephyrhills, Florida) and panelists William Poe (city manager of Dade City, Florida) and Ron Carlee (City Manager of Charlotte, North Carolina and former chief operating officer of the International City/County Management Association) about Spina’s article (June 2013, Vol. 45, No. 2).
***
“Increasing the Usefulness of Academic Scholarship for Local Government Practitioners” (July 2013)
Lead author and Social Media Editor Beverly Bunch (University of Illinois, Springfield) and four local government managers—Pamela Brangaccio (city manager of New Smyrna Beach, Florida), Daniel Fitzpatrick (city manager of Rochester, New Hampshire), and Greg Sund, (county administrator of Ellis County, Kansas),and Daryl Delabbio (county administrator/controller of Kent County, Michigan)—join to discuss her article (September 2013, Vol. 45, No. 3).
***
“Not All Refinancings Are Created Equal: A Framework for Assessing State and Local Government Debt Refinancing Measures” (March 2014)
SLGR Social Media Editor Beverly Bunch (University of Illinois, Springfield) interviews author Dr. Martin Luby (DePaul University) and two state officials—Sandi Thompson (Director of the Office of State and Local Finance, Comptroller of the Treasury, for the State of Tennessee) and Jim Joseph (State Bond Advisor for the State of Oklahoma)—about Luby article (March 2014, Vol. No. 1).
***
“Special Issue: Local Government” Collaboration (July 2014
SLGR Social Media Editor Beverly Bunch (University of Illinois, Springfield) interviews four of authors of the articles in the Special Issue—J. Edwin Benton (University of South Florida and SLGR Managing Editor), Cheryl Hilvert (International City/County Management Association), Daryl J. Delabbio (county manager in Kent County, Michigan, and Jered B. Carr (University of Illinois, Chicago) about their articles and related issues.
***
“Strategic Alignment of the New Normal: Collaboration, Sustainability, and Deliberation in Local Government Across Boundaries” (February 2015)
SLGR Managing Editor J. Edwin Benton interviews five public managers across the United States—Michele Baker (county administrator in Pasco County, Florida), Rod Gould (city manager in Santa Monica, California), Mike Wilkes (city manager in Olatahe, Kansas), Davie Krings (administrator in the Village of Lockland, Ohio), and Peter Chichton (county manager in Cumberland County, Maine)—about the current challenges faced by their local governments and their reflections on an article by Michael Abels (University of Central Florida) entitled ”Strategic Alignment for the New Normal: Collaboration, Sustainability, and Deliberation in Local Government Across Boundaries” (September 2014, Vol. 46, No. 3).
***
“Civic Engagement and Fiscal Stress in American Cities: Insights from the Great Recession” (November 2015)
SLGR Podcast Editor Anne Williamson (University of Missouri-Kansas City) interviews author Marcia Godwin (University of LaVerne), Aimee Franklin (University of Oklahoma), and Jim Giles (Director of Council & Community Relations, Office of the Mayor, Kansas City, Missouri) about local government experiences with civic engagement in American cities during the Great Recession and the relevance of Dr. Godwin’s article titled “Civic Engagement and Fiscal Stress in American Cities: Insights from the Great Recession” (December 2014, Vol. 46, No. 4).
Deadline Extended! Call for Proposals, State and Local Government Review
2016 Special Issue on Political and Ideological Polarization and Its Impact on Subnational Governments
Michael J. Scicchitano, University of Florida, Editor
Political and Ideological polarization in the United States is evident at all levels of government—federal, state and local. While this polarization is interesting from a political or electoral perspective, it also has profound implications for governance. The impacts are certainly felt at each level of government but also through the intergovernmental system.
There are at least four plausible dimensions or scenarios resulting from political and ideological polarization. First, polarization at the national level can have a rippling effect on state and local governments. Perhaps the most obvious example would be in a policy area like immigration, once thought to be the province of the federal government, where pressing problems associated with it must be resolved by state and local governments since the federal government has been unwilling or unable to craft solutions. Witness the actions of a number of states that have tried going it alone in dealing with the fallout of no federal government action to deal with the issue of illegal immigration. Other examples can be found in policy areas (e.g., homeland security, transportation, education, health care, taxation, and economic inequality) where over the years the federal government has articulated an express and overriding interest via federal fiscal assistance or mandates. Here again, the inability of the federal government to craft realistic solutions or instead sends mixed signals ultimately means that these problems are passed down to the states and even to local governments where they cannot be ignored. Examples abound like the federal government keeping school districts across the nation in limbo about compliance with No Child Left Behind (NCLB) by procrastinating for years in renewing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Another example has been Congressional delay in enacting legislation (referred to as a marketplace fairness act) that would produce much-needed additional revenue for state and local governments from Internet sales and other out-of-state retailers. (more…)
Section on Intergovernmental Administration and Management 