Coping with Crisis: How are Local Governments Reinventing Themselves in the Wake of the Great Recession?

Resource Summary

This ICMA sponsored paper rests on the assumption that persisting economic hard times will eventually require managers and governing boards to adopt service delivery and budget balancing strategies beyond the typical “business as usual” approaches used in past recessions. According to the results of the research: 1) Most approaches are aimed at cutting expenditures rather than raising revenue; 2) Elected officials remain reluctant to enter into collaborative arrangements with other jurisdictions; and 3) Most approaches are conventional and incremental as opposed to bolder, innovative strategies, though this could change in the coming years.