Public Service Provision and Urban Development

Originally published in 1984. The authors of this study address a number of major themes related to the analysis of public services, and these issues are considered in the context of case studies of school closures, the provision of medical care, the relationships between Federal outlays and presidential politics, the provision of nurseries, demand-making in local government and the fiscal crisis facing many American cities. The subject of public service provision is of great interest not only to political scientists but also to geographers and to sociologists. This book presents a great deal of new thinking and new research from both North America and Britain.

Acknowledgements; 1. Changing Emphasis in Public Services Research Andrew Kirby, Paul Knox and Steven Pinch 2. Public Services in Cities and Counties Ken Newton 3. The Spatial Allocation of Federal Outlays and Presidential Politics: A Vote-Buying Linkage? J. Clark Archer 4. The Public Choice Perspective in Contemporary Political Geography Fred Shelley 5. School Budget Retrenchment and Locational Conflict: Crisis in Local Democracy? David R. Reynolds 6. Jurisdictional Benefits and Local Costs: The Politics of School Closings Rex Honey and David Sorenson 7. Policy Evaluation and Selection: Can Formal Methods Help? Bryan H. Massam 8. Urban Development and the Provision of Personal Services: The Example of Medical Care in the United States Paul Knox, James Bohland and Neil L. Shumsky 9. Economic Determinism and the Provision of Human Services Christopher J. Smith 10. Health Care and the State: Britain and the United States Andrew Kirby 11. Inequality in Pre-School Provision: A Geographical Perspective Steven Pinch 12. Social Change, Turf Politics, and Concepts of Turf Politics Keven Cox 13. Neighbourhood Participation, Political Demand-Making and Local Outputs in British and North American Cities Alan Burnett 14. Political Decision-Making and the Distribution of Public Benefits: A Political Science Perspective Bryan D. Jones 15. Public Choice and Private Power: A Theory of Fiscal Crisis Frances Fox Piven and Roger Friedland