Tracing the roots of charitable choice

Does federal urban policy influence local policymaking choices, particularly in regarding the development of local regimes? Focusing on Charitable Choice, a provision of the comprehensive package of welfare reform in 1996, it argues that this is an example of the federal government attempting to directly shape who participates in local governing regimes, particularly in the areas of housing, service delivery, and community and economic development. This work utilizes a unique dataset of national and local newspaper stories as well as interviews with elites in the cities of Detroit and Grand Rapids, Michigan. News stories are analyzed for important frames in the areas of housing, social services, and community and economic development. Results indicate that despite efforts of national policymakers, local nonprofits are not engaging in a greater scope of work, with a few notable exceptions.