Adaptation of Models versus Variations in Form:

A great deal of variability exists in American local government structures. It would be useful to analyze the differences in outcomes associated with different structures, but two factors stand in the way. First, there is no agreement about how to classify city governments. Second, many of the components used in existing classifications are inaccurately reported or missing in survey data. In this research note, a new classification system based on three easily determined components is developed and used to measure the current distribution of forms and variations in an expanded dataset that includes almost all cities over 10,000 in population. In local government, Americans can choose among a wide range of structural features that determine form, methods of election, and assignments of responsibilities to officials. Scholars have been interested in which structures are selected among these options, how differences in structure affect the performance and outputs of local government, and how the use of structures is changing. There is disagreement, however, about which aspects of structure to emphasize and how to classify various combinations of features. In order to advance the research on the relationship between structure and the performance of city government, it i