"Governance in a Digital Age".

• Author: Metzgar, Judd

Bonnett, Tom

Public Manager, October 1999, Pp. 7-14.

This article discusses how trends in globalization, information technology, and economic deregulation will impact state and local governments in the near future. The article contends that as the global economy becomes more integrated with the national economy, states, counties, and cities will play a diminishing role in the direction of their local economies. The article also explores the potential impact of electronic commerce and economic deregulation on the taxing authority and revenue capacity of state and local governments. The deregulation of electric utilities, banking, and telecommunications industries threatens the stability of local tax revenues, while continuously expanding markets in areas of electronic commerce raise questions as to the taxing authority of state and local governments. The focus of the article is on how these factors affect major public policy decisions at the state...