No abstract

Cities across the United States are facing a severe infrastructure deficit. The challenge of financing infrastructure capital assets has emerged as one of the most urgent issues of the country. Using a panel data consisting of 100 American central cities from 1988 to 2012, this research reveals that city governments are responsive to sociodemographic forces and citizens’ demands, but their abilities to finance capital assets are constrained by city fiscal institutions and revenue capacity. This research also compares the determinants of different components of city capital outlays such as road and water utility capital expenditures.

A number of Public Administration (PA) scholars have raised concerns regarding the discipline’s neglect of macroeconomic challenges. Our article focuses on the link between macroeconomic trends and PA. We submit that PA needs to address changing economic structure, shrinking workforce, growing financial leverage, and rising wealth inequity to maintain relevance. Study of these trends complements PA research on government revenue reform and economic development. Furthermore, we suggest PA rebalances its underlying assumptions regarding intellectual boundaries and view of human nature. Without a paradigm shift, PA may lose any legitimate claim to be an appropriate administrative science.

No abstract

No abstract