ABSTRACT

Inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) has increasingly become an important tool for local governments. This study aims to understand the role of IMC from the perspective of network management. We argue that IMCs create networks of horizontal interactions among local governments, facilitating collaboration and information exchange among them. By so doing, IMCs can promote local government performance even outside their main service domains. To evaluate the performance enhancing role of IMC networks, we analyze the case of municipal associations in El Salvador. Based on original surveys of Salvadorian mayors, we find that networks built on municipal associations positively correlate with electricity provision. By contrast, no effect exists on running water provision, perhaps because it requires no collaboration among municipalities. Our findings suggest that managerial networks built on IMCs can play an important role in local government performance in developing settings, but their effect seems contingent on the type of performance outcome.

摘要

城市间合作（IMC）日益成为地方政府的重要工具。本研究旨在从网络管理的角度理解 IMC 的作用。我们认为 IMC 在地方政府之间建立了横向互动网络，促进了它们之间的协作和信息交流。通过这样做，IMC 甚至可以在其主要服务领域之外提升地方政府的绩效。为了评估 IMC 网络的性能增强作用，我们分析了萨尔瓦多市政协会的案例。根据对萨尔瓦多市长的原始调查，我们发现建立在市政协会基础上的网络与电力供应呈正相关。相比之下，对自来水供应没有影响，可能是因为它不需要市政当局之间的合作。