Networks of overlapping local governments are the front line of governmental responses to pandemics. Local governments, both general purpose (municipalities, counties, etc.) and special districts (school, fire, police, hospital, etc.), implement state and federal directives while acting as a...

A mainstream motivation for decentralized government is to enable public service investments to better align with political preferences that may differ by geographical region. This paper examines how political preferences determine local government provision of hospital services. We find that...

Local governments across the U.S. have had a prominent role in financing the pandemic response during the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and economic recession. Yet, such governments are increasingly facing budgetary strain as sources of tax revenue evaporate. If the financial burden on such...