Do Political Similarities Facilitate Interlocal Collaboration?

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

12-19-2017

Publication Title

Public Administration Review

Volume

78

Issue

2

First page number:

261

Last page number:

269

Abstract

This research examines the extent to which political similarities—that is, homophily between political actors at the local level—affect patterns of interorganizational collaboration in an emergency response situation. While the field of emergency management has focused on implementation‐oriented arrangements among key stakeholders, few studies have systemically investigated the creation and development of interorganizational collaborations led by political actors, especially following catastrophic events. The analysis reveals that a dyadic tie with political homophily boosts local responders’ ties with other agencies during emergencies. Findings indicate that political solidarity, formulated by chief elected officials of municipalities and council members, can broaden the scope of interorganizational collaboration by mitigating institutional collective action problems at the local level. This research presents a critical recommendation for emergency managers that interlocal collaboration for timely response to a disaster is attributable to political similarities that facilitate frequent interlocal interactions through formal and/or informal agreements.

Keywords

Institutional collective action; Economic-development; Networks; Governance; Organizations; Risk

Disciplines

Public Affairs, Public Policy and Public Administration

Language

English

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