Privatization and Cooperative Management in the Provision of Public Services in the Rural United States

Local governments in the U.S. are struggling with financial shortfalls due to economic downturns, loss of federal assistance, and resistance to raising more revenue through property taxes. This has led to increased interest in provision of municipal services by private contractors and cooperative arrangements in an effort to increase efficiency. Using results from previous studies in Illinois and Wisconsin we attempt to model the municipal decision of how to provide residents town services. In order to test the applicability of past work to smaller towns we conducted a survey of the mostly rural state of New Hampshire in the summer of 2004. This paper will provide descriptive statistics of this New Hampshire survey and comparisons to the results of past work. We also construct decision-making models using logit, probit, and Poisson techniques which examine the influence of population, location and other exogenous factors on the decision to privatize.

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Using Matching Estimators to Evaluate the Effect of Unit-Based Pricing on Municipal Solid Waste Disposal

The delivery of municipal services for the collection, transfer, and disposal of household solid waste is often provided by local governmental units; typically at the town or city level. Unit-based pricing, also known as pay-as-you-throw (PAYT), is a residential solid waste collection program requiring households to pay a fee per bag of trash disposed. Unit-based pricing represents a significant departure from the historical practice of financing solid waste service from property tax revenues in which the marginal cost to a household for disposing solid waste is effectively zero. Local governments are motivated to adopt unit-based pricing for the purpose of creating a financial incentive for households to reduce the quantity of solid waste disposed and concurrently increasing the level of recycled materials. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of unit-based pricing of household solid waste disposal. A counter-factual model is used to estimate the program effect. The study area for this paper consists of the 234 incorporated towns and cities in the state of New Hampshire. As of 2008, 40 towns had adopted a form of unit-based pricing of household solid waste. Results from propensity score matching suggest there is an average annual reduction of 466 pounds of household solid waste due to unit-based pricing.Propensity score matching, unit-based pricing, pay-as-you-throw, municipal solid waste, Environmental Economics and Policy,

L’importance politique et stratégique de l’Arctique : une perspective canadienne

The Arctic lends a special dimension to Canadian foreign and defence policies because it is the most harsh and the least populated part of Canada, it is where American security interests impinge most insistently and it is the ham in the superpower sandwich. Moreover, the Arctic is being drawn increasingly into the international System, with important policy implications: Canada cannot expect to develop effective policies to deal with its own Arctic in isolation from other countries; and Canada's ability to carry such policies out will depend on the extent to which it can exercise effective control over its vast territory. These implications are of particular importance to Canada's relations with the United States, with whom we must strike a balance between the advantages of cooperation and the need to protect Canadian interests. This task promises to become more complex as the forward air and sea defence of the United States pushes further north, while the move toward space-based warning and surveillance Systems reduces American reliance on Canadian territory and Canadian access to American information. Traditionally Canada has dealt bilaterally with the United States on such matters but the time has come to supplement the bilateral channels with multilateral approaches wherever possible, in order to emphasize the point that the defence of North America is an integral part of the defence of the North Atlantic Treaty area. In accordance with this concept, various measures should be considered to reinforce the strategic unity of NATO, to ensure that defence measures in the Arctic are consistent with strategic stability and with arms control policies, and to establish in the Arctic a regime of mutual security, bolstered by a concerted program of circumpolar cooperation

ENERGY DEVELOPMENT AND LABOR MARKET DYNAMICS: A STUDY OF SEVEN WESTERN COUNTIES

Impacts of energy development on the secondary business sector of development-impacted counties are examined in a survey of seven western counties. Problems experienced by businesses in attracting and retaining qualified employees and in expanding to take advantage of growing markets are evaluated. Characteristics of private and public sector employees and their implications for community planning are discussed.Community/Rural/Urban Development, Labor and Human Capital,

THE ROLE OF ECONOMIC ANALYSIS IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT DECISIONS: THE CASE OF SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

The issue of solid waste management has risen to national prominence in the last decade, fueled by increasing waste disposal costs and changing public attitudes. This situation presents a major opportunity for economists to use their applied microeconomics skills to assist state and local governments manage waste in a cost effective fashion. While findings from formal research efforts may ultimately make their way into the decision-making process, perhaps economists can play an even more significant role in emphasizing the importance of the most basic economic concepts and principles for sound decision making in solid waste management or the many other areas in which local public choices are made. These areas would include at least the following: opportunity cost, marginal analysis of costs and benefits, and the role of economic incentives.Public Economics,

Impacts of Energy Development on Secondary Labor Markets: A Study of Seven Western Counties

This study attempts to determine key characteristics of these secondary workers in seven counties of four states, and the implications that the results of these surveys have on planning for socioeconomic impact management.Labor and Human Capital, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Meeting with Chancellor\u27s Staff / Housing Guidelines—Gay and Lesbian Students

An internal memo from John Halstead to Scott Anchors references requests by gay and lesbian students for specific housing

Impacts of Energy Development on Mercer County, North Dakota

This study examines the efforts of Mercer County, North Dakota to deal with the impacts of several large-scale facilities constructed and under construction near Beulah, the county's largest city. The county has, thus far, adjusted well. The lessons of Mercer County may, therefore, be useful in planning for future growth in other communities.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,