This paper contributes to the understanding of the variation in property tax reliance. Factors thought to underlie the relative use of property taxes in financing local public services are examined. Because of the importance of external debt and tax limits in determining both tax policies and...

The states have moved through three distinct periods in finance and taxing policies. First, until the 1930s, states dominated over congress in taxing powers. During the Great Depression, many programs were initiated which involved the states in close grant-in-aid arrangements with the federal...

The effects of structural shifts in the treatment of intergovernmental aid during the 1980s are tested using a sample of 1,929 rural counties with local road responsibilities. A dynamic model is used to test the hypothesis that local public officials treated intergovernmental aid differently...

Rural communities across the United States have been undergoing dramatic economic restructuring. As a result, many rural communities are struggling to recover from the closure or downsizing of manufacturing facilities and to implement economic development programs. The goal of this study was to...

Since the 1960s, community development organizations in the public and nonprofit sectors have become increasingly conscious of the impact of their work in light of finite financial resources and a growing range of policy concerns. This article briefly reviews the history of outcome measurement...