Black Public/Private Interests in Rural Consolidated Governments.

AbstractThis paper addresses a central question confronting political scientists, economists, public administrators, and policy analysts: Why and how does city-county consolidation within rural counties alter private/public interests? The paper reports on a comparative case study of four consolidated rural Georgia counties with various levels of Black populations. This paper contends that merging local political subdivisions (i.e., counties, municipalities, towns, villages) is principally undertaken for the purpose of maintaining the power and/or influence of public/private interests, particularly propertied interests, within public institutions, processes, and structures. Moreover, the paper asserts that because of the "history, spirit, and/or nature" of democratic thought in the U.S., non-propertied interests in consolidated governments do benefit directly and/or indirectly from city-county consolidation. By comparing similar consolidated and non-consolidated counties, political scientists may be able to further elucidate relationships between economic development, political representation, government efficiency, and political integration across spatial locations. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]