This research investigates why various mechanisms of cooperation among local authorities are chosen using the theoretical lens of institutional collective action ( ICA ). The article analyzes 564 local collaboration agreements drawn from four urban regions of China to explain the choices of environmental collaboration agreements among cities. Examples of three forms of interlocal agreements-informal, formal, and imposed agreements-are analyzed. Ordinal logistic regressions are estimated to test which factors predicted by the ICA framework influence the form of collaboration selected. The results indicate that the involvement of national or provincial government, the number of policy actors involved, heterogeneity of economic conditions, and differences in administrative level among the actors involved influence how collaboration agreements are structured. Examining the choice of agreement type contributes to the understanding of interlocal collaboration and provides practical insights for public managers to structure interlocal collaboration. Evidence for Practice• Informal, formal, and imposed agreements are available to public managers seeking to address regional problems. • Local managers should be attentive to local economic conditions and characteristics of policy actors in choosing specific types of agreements. • The number of policy actors involved is an important consideration in deciding on agreement type.

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We contribute to extant policy theory by focusing on interrelationships between existing policies and innovation. In particular, we call attention to the link between supply-side incentives and demand-side innovation, which has not been systematically investigated. Our research expectation is that supply-side policies generally will complement demand-side policy, leading to a positive impact on the adoption of demand-side innovations. We test this idea by examining adoptions of renewable portfolio standards (RPS), a demand-pull approach targeted to renewable energy generation by utilities, in the American states from 1991 to 2008. Event history models show that an index of supply-side financial incentives has a strong positive influence on RPS adoption. We do not find support for the hypothesis that this effect is contingent on in-state carbon-based energy generation. In conclusion, we argue that the study of policy adoption needs to give greater consideration to the interrelationships among policy instruments. Note 1 Five states have leverage values higher than 0.3. These states are: Arizona (0.47), Connecticut (0.32), Florida (0.31), New Hampshire (0.34), and Oregon (0.34).

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This paper investigates the competing forces driving the development of renewable energy in the American states. We formulate a framework of state renewable energy politics and develop a set of hypotheses regarding the role of politics, policies, and prices in renewable energy development. We test these hypotheses with a fixed effect vector decomposition model using a panel data set for the U.S. states from 1990 to 2008. The results indicate that renewable energy development is influenced by regulatory institutions, the party affiliations of the governor and legislators, and the professionalism of the legislature, accompanied by the effects of various policy instruments.