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Smart Growth Policy Choice: A Resource Dependency and Local Governance Explanation
Author(s) -
Hawkins Christopher V.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
policy studies journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.773
H-Index - 69
eISSN - 1541-0072
pISSN - 0190-292X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1541-0072.2011.00427.x
Subject(s) - smart growth , local government , incentive , corporate governance , context (archaeology) , public economics , economics , business , natural resource , dependency (uml) , local governance , extant taxon , sustainability , public administration , political science , microeconomics , finance , land use , engineering , paleontology , ecology , civil engineering , systems engineering , evolutionary biology , law , biology
Smart growth is a planning and land use policy objective that generally focuses on where development should occur and how best to protect natural resources. What explains the adoption of smart growth policy by local government? This study focuses on a cooperative intergovernmental program that seeks to enhance local government abilities to work toward achieving state goals on sustainability. Extant research suggests that local interest group preferences shape policy decisions. However, much of the evidence on the influence of local interest groups on smart growth policy is presented within the coercive intergovernmental context. This article argues that resource dependency influences local decisions in pursuing a smart growth agenda when state incentives are provided. The findings suggest that fiscal capacity and the characteristics of local governing institutions are significant predictors in the decision to take part in an intergovernmental program. Business and neighborhood interest groups have a significant effect on policy adoption, as do local characteristics depending on the smart growth functional area.