Public Choice Theory and Local Government - (Comparative Analysis of the UK and the USA) by George A Boyne (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

This book evaluates the validity of a key proposition of public choice theory: that competition is associated with superior performance by governmental organisations. Three forms of competition in local government are identified: competition between local authorities, competition between councils and private contractors, and competition between parties for political power. The extent and consequences of competition are assessed in both the UK and USA. The analysis is used to draw conclusions on the effects of competition and the validity of public choice theory.

Review Quotes

'...a study of high-relevance as well as profound scholarship, examining the role of all forms of competition in local government. An impressive treatise of the public sector in the UK and the USA which must attract the interest from all studying the democratic market economies.' - Jan-Erik Lane, University of Geneva

'The book can be highly recommended as a careful and comprehensive exposition of the application of public choice theory to local government, bringing together a wide literature in a convenient and enjoyable readable form.' - Peter A. Watt, Local Government Studies

'This is a lucid and probing analysis. It confronts public choice theories with solid evidence to test them, and shows where each falls short. Critical results emerge for theorizing as well as policy making.' - Professor Terry Nicholls Clark, University of Chicago

About the Author

GEORGE BOYNE is Senior Research Fellow and Coordinator of the Public Services Research Unit at Cardiff Business School, University of Wales. He was previously Professor of Public Policy at the University of Glamorgan where he worked from 1980 to 1995, and a lecturer at the Robert Gordon University in his native Aberdeen from 1978 to 1980. He has published over 50 articles in academic journals mainly in the areas of local policy variation and local government structure, finance and performance. His other work includes Constraints, Choices and Public Policies.