Government Restructuring: Special Projects
Warner Projects
Free Trade and State and Local Government
Mildred Warner and Jennifer Gerbasi
An overview of state and local government concerns about free trade. Case studies, resolutions and letters illustrate how state and local governments are asking for a balance between free trade objectives and local government authority.
Business Improvement Districts
Mildred Warner, James Quazi, Brooks More, Ezra Cattan, Scott Bellen, Kerim Odekon, 2002.
While effective in promoting economic development, BIDs also raise important issues about governance and control over public space.
National and State Trends
Professor Warner's research on national and New York state trends in local government restructuring.
Options for County Nursing Homes in New York State
Michael Ballard, Kevin Sherper and Mildred Warner, 1999
In spite of being prized assets in the communities they serve, the future viability of county homes is uncertain. As the long-term care industry undergoes rapid and significant change, county homes must seek out new and innovative ways of providing high quality service at the lowest possible cost.
Student Projects
Public Banking for Infrastructure Finance
Shareef M. Hussam, 2018.
This report examines the ways in which public banking can help local governments in affordably and sustainably financing infrastructure, with a focus on waste, wastewater, stormwater, and sewage systems. The paper first presents the research methodology. Next, it introduces the underlying theory and concepts of public banking. Third, a detailed case study of the Bank of North Dakota and its 2015 Infrastructure Loan Fund is developed. Finally, the paper examines the unique benefits of public banks and explores strategies for the implementation of similarly structured institutions in New York State and the broader U.S. context.
High Speed Rail Accessibility: What Can California Learn from Spain?
Chuyan Zhong, Germà Bel, Mildred Warner, 2012.
Discussion on High Speed Rail (HSR) station accessibility is attracting increasing attention in the literature. We compare the proposed Los Angeles – San Francisco HSR corridor to the functioning HSR line between Madrid and Barcelona to assess relative accessibility based on urban structure. Our methodology assesses socioeconomic and spatial characteristics of mono-centric versus polycentric cities that may affect HSR accessibility. By addressing challenges of unit (urban geography), data series (normalization) and identifying four key components of HSR attractiveness (population, population density, income and employment) we have created a straightforward methodology that could be used to compare HSR corridors around the world. We find urban structure limits the potential accessibility of HSR in the California context and warn HSR planners they should proceed with caution.
Paying for Infrastructure in the 21st Century
Matt Styer, 2012
Policymakers in the U.S. have contracted with a fragile model that treats the risks held by public and private partners as completely independent. The result has been an inadequate system of frustrating relationships and project failures. Case studies from California and Texas illustrate the dynamics of the traditional US approach that make it inadequate as a continuing practice. Experiences from France, Spain and Chile are presented as places that have adopted new mechanisms to share risk and bolster the stability of their transportation projects. Such mechanisms provide smart and efficient tools to procure and structure contracts, provide responsible public subsidy, deal with revenue risks, and connect the public and private sector in a true partnership. View presentation here (PDF).
Community Land Trusts: An Analysis of CLTs in Three Housing Markets
Rebecca Baran-Rees, Nathaniel Decker, Kevin Dowd, Tom Knipe, C.J. Randall, and Janani Rajbhandari Thapa, 2011.
Community Land Trusts (CLTs) have been an emerging form of affordable housing provision nationwide. This paper addresses the varying challenges and opportunities of CLTs in three different housing market typologies.
Redevelopment Authorities
Kevin Dowd, 2011.
Since their inception, the purpose, power, and public acceptance of Redevelopment Authorities (RDAs) have been constantly evolving. This paper presents an analysis of 20th Century social, legal, and economic developments that have dramatically altered the landscape in which RDAs operate.
Bed Taxes and Local Tourism Development
Tom Knipe, 2011.
Bed taxes - or taxes paid by hotels for rented rooms - are widely used by local governments as a way to raise revenue for local services by taxing visitors. This literature review examines the assumption the nature of this revenue source and its impact on the lodging industry.
Transfer of Development Rights
Jason Hanly-Forde, George Homsy, Katherine Lieberknecht, Remington Stone.
Local governments undertake transfer of development rights (TDR) programs to use the market to implement and pay for development density and location decisions. TDR programs allow landowners to sever development rights from properties in government-designated low-density areas, and sell them to purchasers who want to increase the density of development in areas that local governments have selected as higher density areas.
Corruption
Andre Gratto, Bryan Preston, Thor Snilsberg, 2002.
Corruption has been identified as a major barrier to economic and social development in developing countries, and considerable research as been done into the causes of and the solutions to corruption in these countries.
Prison Privatization
Stephen McFarland, Chris McGowan, Tom O'Toole, 2002.
The movement towards the privatization of corrections in the United States is a result of the convergence of two factors: the unprecedented growth of the US prison population since 1970 and the emergence out of the Reagan era of a political environment favorable to free-market solutions.
Labor-Management Cooperation
Lindy Burt, 1998.
As local governments nationwide struggle with demands for quality service delivery and fiscal constraints, they are employing a number of strategies. While these include privatization and intermunicipal cooperation, another technique that can lead to greater efficiency and cost savings is labor-management cooperation. Background articles and a special report examine some of the critical issues surrounding effective implementation of cooperative labor-management practices.