Toward a better understanding of local service provision: Implications for studying the determinants of production choice
本文改进了地方服务提供的概念化和测量方法，发现服务提供是多方面的，且辖区根据生产实体部门参与不同程度的提供活动，质疑了传统合同框架作为研究基础的有效性。
Abstract Researchers studying local governance, especially alternative service delivery arrangements, have long relied on the ICMA ASD survey to examine the scope and nature of service provision and production at the local level. Building upon Lamothe et al. (Public Administration Review, 2018, 78: 613) findings that raise questions concerning the accuracy of the ASD survey and resulting misconceptions about service provision, this paper refines how provision can be conceptualized and measured to promote a better understanding of local governance. Utilizing a unique survey design that incorporates, but also extends the ASD format, we demonstrate that service provision is multifaceted, and jurisdictions participate in varying degrees of provision activities based on the sector of the producing entity. Our findings highlight the importance of properly accounting for provision activities and call into question the efficacy of the conventional contracting framework as the primary theoretical underpinning of most studies of local service delivery arrangements.