地方层面上的政府间合约：场合、原因、对象，以及相关者

Intergovernmental Contracting at the Local Level:When,Why,For What,and Who Cares?

当学者们讨论美国的合约外包时,他们常常指公私部门之间的合约。然而,论文发现,政府间的服务合约在地方层面上相当普遍。论文采访了5个州的地方政府官员,他们都有一个共同的目标,即在不断增长的财政压力下,努力为他们的选民提供相同水平和质量的服务。论文就政府间服务合约进行了探讨——地方政府这样做的原因、局限性和成效,以及其与公私部门间合约的差异。

When academics talk about contracting out in the United States,they often mean with the private sector. Nevertheless,we find that service contracting with other units of government is relatively common at the local level. This article,which uses interviews of local government officials from five states,all of whom share the collective goal of trying to provide the same level and quality of services for their constituents under increasing fiscal demands,explores intergovernmental service contracting — the reasons why local governments do it,its limits and successes,and how it differs from contracting with the private sector.