The Structure of Interlocal Service Networks and the Effects of Administrative and Electoral Conjunctions on Their Formation

Local problems often spill over the borders of one jurisdiction into the next, creating a need for cities to cooperate on the planning and delivery of local public services. Networks of interlocal agreements (ILAs) provide a way for cities in a fragmented metropolis to cooperate on services, and these networks may be especially likely to form when local government officials are linked through interpersonal networks. Drawing on Williams ’ Lifestyle Model of Metropolitan Politics and Frederickson’s theory of administrative conjunctions, this paper uses network analytic methods to examine the structure of ILA networks, and to assess the impact of governing officials ’ interpersonal networks on the probability of ILAs forming between cities. The Detroit metropolitan area provides the context for this study. Results suggest that cities cooperate more extensively across the metro area for systems-maintenance functions, such as public works and public safety. More importantly, we find that any given cluster of cities has an increased probability of cooperating through ILAs when their city managers ’ participate in the same local professional network. The same effects hold true for mayors ’ networking with counterparts, and for some function, serve as an even stronger predictor of ILAs forming