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To authenticate to the full-text of this article, please visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9299.2010.01837_7.x Byline: David K. Hamilton (1) Author Affiliation: (1)Texas Tech University

When in 1917 H. S. Gilbertson designated counties 'the Dark Continent of American politics,' he was referring to the lack of interest in county government on the part of reformers [...]

A metropolitan region does not have formal institutional structures such as nations, states, and cities, but it is a system that can be conceptualized and studied as a whole. The study of metropolitan areas too often ignores the dynamic relationships at the intersection of state and local governments. This study suggests a two-dimensional typology of governance in metropolitan regions. The authors found that governance affects the long-term competitiveness of the metropolitan economy. Governance does not determine economic outcomes but reduces the ability to adapt. The worst combination for metropolitan competitiveness is decentralization within regions where there is a centralized state government. Keywords: metropolitan; governance; centralization; decentralization; competitiveness; region

The extent of centralized or decentralized government has been an issue in America's governing .system since the Revolutionary War. The major issues debated at the Constitutional Convention revolved around the amount of authority the national government should possess in relation to the states. The centralization-decentralization issue is still a matter of contention, but a major focus of the debate has shifted to the metropolitan area. Despite the differences in time and levels of governments, many of the same arguments made during the constitutional debates are similar to the arguments made for and against government reform in metropolitan areas today. The author reconsiders the centralization-decentralization issues debated at the Constitutional Convention and the ratification fight in the context of the current debate in metropolitan areas. Theoretical support for this exercise is provided by the international relations model. An application of the issues debated and resolved by the colonists to the current debate on the extent of centralized government in metropolitan areas would favor the establishment of metropolitan government., In 1787 a group met in Philadelphia to improve the Articles of Confederation. Although the group was divided in how to improve the Articles, there was general agreement that the [...]

Regime theory has been used extensively in community governance studies. An analysis of the urban regime theory literature and the regional governance literature reveals that urban regime theory can also be useful in the study of regional governance. Both literatures indicate the critical importance of the nongovernmental sector for effective governance. Indeed, because of the usually weak regional political constituency, the private sector often takes the lead in regional governance initiatives. However, private sector efforts are only successful to the extent that coalitions can be developed with political leaders. The author conducted a study of regionalism in the Chicago metropolitan area where leaders from both sectors have recently formed organizations to address regional issues. He analyzed the two organizations and whether a regional regime can develop given the region's political culture of local government autonomy and the history of antagonism between the central city and the suburbs.

Local governments have struggled to maintain their autonomy and simultaneously deal with the increasing interconnectedness of public issues. To provide specific regional services, special districts have been established. Governments, particularly in the suburbs, have established councils of governments (COGs) to discuss issues that transcend their individual boundaries, and in many instances they have joined together to offer a specific service to member governments. Business leaders in many metropolitan areas, recognizing the obstacles that local political leaders encounter in addressing regional policy issues, have also played a role in developing regional governance initiatives. Business leaders in Chicago started a regional governance initiative in 1999 called Chicago Metropolis 2020. This is not the first organization in Chicago to become involved in regional issues. Indeed, many other business-funded civic organizations have been involved in studying regional issues, producing reports, and advocating regional action on specific issues for many years. Metropolis 2020 takes regionalism to a new level. Its agenda is not narrowly focused on one or two regional governance issues but on a much broader goal of a comprehensive regional governance system. This initiative is an example of new regionalism. New regionalism involves collaboration among the public and private sectors on issues dealing with metropolitan governance. These efforts may include a decision-making process on regional issues, brokering a cooperative arrangement among governments in the region, and inducing state legislation, when necessary, to implement a regional solution. In contrast to previous approaches to regional governance, new regionalism does not involve restructuring government boundaries or altering authority relationships among local municipal governments. There is strong involvement by the private sector, which for the purposes of this article includes civic agencies that are involved in regional activity and dependent upon the private sector or private foundations for financial and leadership resources. New regionalism is a collaborative, nonhierarchical process where each party comes to the table as a relatively equal participant in decision making. Because all participants are peers, a commitment to consensus building and shared leadership in resolving issues is a prerequisite to the success of the endeavor. The participants invariably have their own self-interest but usually develop a group synergy that extends their scope of influence and range of expertise and creates a legitimacy that they lack on their own. Consequently, the collaborative effort is held together by the advantages each participant perceives in mutual involvement. (1). In some instances, a collaborative alliance may form to address only one issue, but the same core people may be involved in a number of single-purpose alliances. The result is an interlocking web of public and private people involved in a number of regional issues so that even a single-purpose issue receives a broad focus. This article reviews the literature on the new regionalism activity in selected metropolitan areas to identify elements that successful initiatives have in common. This framework is then used to analyze the efforts of two regional organizations in Chicago: Chicago Metropolis 2020, the initiative begun by area business leaders; and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, a regional forum established in 1997. The Mayors Caucus is an informal, COG-like body that allows elected political leaders to meet, discuss, and possibly take action on issues of regional significance. These two organizations seem to have the best potential for fostering regionwide governance in the area. Information for this analysis was gathered through consulting minutes, internal reports, and publications of the two organizations and through interviews with selected political and business leaders and staff of organizations involved in the regionalism effort. (2), Successful New Regionalism The public and private sectors each have different roles to play in making regional governance mechanisms successful. The Role of the Civic Sector. The private sector has [...]

Articles and books have recently appeared on a wide variety of regionalism issues. Some writers have attempted to refocus the discussion of the topic from government to governance, while others have proposed frameworks and models to categorize areas by the extent of their regionalism and explain why some metropolitan areas are more regional than others. Taking into account the government and governance issues and previous efforts at model building, the author proposes another framework to aid in the study of regionalism in metropolitan areas. A regional process is triggered when an urban area experiences growth or change pressures that extend beyond individual political boundaries. Various influences are exerted to restore equilibrium. The influences promote either independent and autonomous responses, or regionalism and cooperation responses. Many factors determine the strength of the influences, including previous responses and state and federal policies. Responses to the regional issue are a function of the interplay of the various influences and will result in either a more independent and autonomous or a more regional and cooperative governing system. The author applies the framework in the analysis of Pittsburgh's responses to regionalism pressures.

How has the staffing function in government changed since the far reaching Rutan decision in 1990? David Hamilton describes the patronage system used by the state of Illinois and analyzes the changes in the staffing function by the state in response to the court decision. He concludes that the state was more concerned with ensuring compliance than with promoting an improved staffing function. The result has been to replace a centralized patronage system with a centralized bureaucratic system. Finally, Hamilton draws lessons from Illinois' response which may be useful to governments concerned with elimination of patronage. He feels that the Rutan case can result in an improved staffing function if the proper philosophy and procedures are followed.

The author relates tenets of urban regime theory to the major elements of new regionalism. He develops a framework of government and private sector structures and factors that facilitate the development of regional governing regimes. He categorizes these structures and elements as high, medium, or low according to the extent to which they facilitate or hinder the development of regional regimes. This framework is used in an analysis of new regionalism in the Pittsburgh and Chicago regions. The author concludes that the Pittsburgh region's private sector regime development capacity is in the high category while its government capacity is in the medium category. The Chicago region's private sector regime development capacity is placed in the medium category while its government sector capacity is judged to be in the low category.

Contrary to the expectations of many, the Supreme Court has not backed away from its assault on patronage practices. It continues to clarify and extend patronage prohibitions. Illinois has the distinction of being the major battleground of reform as the courts use Illinois cases to progressively eliminate patronage practices. The Court's attack on patronage began in Illinois, and the latest decision banning pinstripe patronage began Illinois case. With its distinction as the home of the last great political machine, Chicago also has the distinction of being the first major city to be under a court-approved and monitored program to ensure the end of its past patronage practices. The author analyzes the progressive erosion of patronage practices with a major focus on Illinois cases. The author also discusses some of the unresolved issues from the court cases and assesses some of the impacts of the court-monitored hiring system on Chicago's personnel function., Notwithstanding the opinions of some observers, who felt that the U.S. Supreme Court might back away from its stand opposing patronage (Sylvia, 1994, 13; Boyd, 1992; Daniel, 1992), the Court [...]