Inter-Local Cooperation in a Metropolitan Area:Detroit
Abstract
Inter-Local Cooperation in a Metropolitan AreaDetroit SAGE Publications, Inc.1968DOI: 10.1177/107808746800400203 Vincent L.Marando LITTLE is known about the patterns and effects of voluntary cooperation among municipalities in metropolitan areas. For example, an untested assumption in the literature has been that cooperation provides an economical means for providing services. Yet, the pattern of cooperation in several metropolitan areas indicates that economy is not the major determinant of some cooperation patterns." Cooperation may have not only economic, but also social, implications for the participating units of government which restricts them from taking advantage of certain economic arrangements. This paper has four basic purposes: ( 1 ) to examine the amount and pattern of inter-local cooperation for the Detroit Metropolitan area; (2) to assess the services provided by employing several classifications of cooperation: contractual agreements, joint agreements, agreements with social implications and agreements with economic implications; (3) to correlate three variables-municipal social rank, tax resources, and type of governmental structure- with different classifications of cooperation; (4) based on the findings above, to discuss whether inter-local cooperation is more economical or effective than municipalities providing services themselves and whether inter-local cooperation is a strong enough device to provide a fundamental solution to major