The formation, structure and processes, and performance of regional partnerships for economic development in United States metropolitan areas

Cooperation and coordination among local governments is on the rise, according to some observers. One strategy which has been used to support regional cooperation is the formation of voluntary groups consisting of local governmental officials from various jurisdictions---and often business leaders and other citizens. In the United States, many "regional partnerships" have been formed specifically to foster economic development. The recent growth in regional partnerships for economic development, however, has not been matched by scholarly research. To date, no study has empirically examined the formation of regional partnerships for economic development in the United States. Further, no study has looked at the organizational characteristics of a representative sample of regional partnerships for economic development in the United States. Most importantly, no study has examined whether regional partnerships have actually impacted the economic development of regions.;This dissertation remedies these shortcomings by examining three aspects of regional partnerships for economic development: their formation, their structure and processes, and their performance. It develops a theory of regional partnerships which asserts that a key determinant of the formation of regional partnerships and their organizational structure and processes is strong cooperative norms---or a tradition of collaboration---among local governmental officials, among business leaders and among citizens. In addition, the theory predicts that regional partnerships have a positive impact on economic development. The hypotheses suggested by the theory are tested using data from 244 U.S. metropolitan areas and from a survey to which executive directors of 133 regional partnerships responded.;Results provide some support that strong cooperative norms---as well as need---are positively related to the formation of regional partnerships for economic development. Results are weak regarding relationships between cooperative norms and the structure and processes of regional partnerships. Finally, results indicate that regional partnerships for economic development are positively and significantly related to job growth in U.S. metropolitan areas from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s.