Government Consolidation and Economic Development in Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh.

Cover -- Preface -- Contents -- Tables -- Summary -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- CHAPTER ONE Introduction -- Background -- The RAND Study and How We Went About It -- Study Focus -- Study Approach -- Analytic Approach -- How This Report Is Organized -- CHAPTER TWO City-County Consolidations: History and Theoretical Rationales -- History -- City-County Consolidation in the Context of Reform -- Theoretical Arguments for Consolidation -- Improving Technical Efficiency -- Reducing Fragmented Governance -- Improving Regional Fiscal and Social Balance -- Theoretical Arguments Against Consolidation -- Loss of Choice -- Failure to Achieve Anticipated Economies of Scale -- Consolidation Will Spread the Burdens of the Central City to the Suburbs -- CHAPTER THREE City-County Consolidation: Practitioners' and Academics' Views -- The Practitioners -- The Academics -- Case Studies -- Empirical Analyses -- CHAPTER FOUR The Economic-Development Case -- The Goals of Economic Development -- Nurture the Existing Economy -- Attract New Firms and Institutions (Jobs) to the Region -- Maintain and Enhance the Local Workforce -- Measuring Economic Improvement -- Elements of the Economic-Development Case -- Unity of Leadership -- Increased Planning and Development Capability -- Simpler Regulatory Procedures for Business -- Reduced Intergovernmental Competition -- CHAPTER FIVE Consolidating the City of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County -- Unity of Leadership -- Increased Planning and Development Capacity -- Simpler Regulatory Procedures for Business -- Reduced Intergovernmental Competition -- Putting the Case Together -- CHAPTER SIX Conclusions -- APPENDIX Interview Protocol -- References.