Public Management in Rural Local Governments: An Assessment of Institutional Differences and Implications

• Author: David J. Helpap
• DOI: 10.1177/0160323X19856937
• Published date: 01 March 2019
• Date: 01 March 2019
• Subject Matter: General Interests

General Interest
State and Local Government Review
2019, Vol. 51(1) 6-18
Public Management in Rural
ª The Author(s) 2019
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Local Governments: An
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DOI: 10.1177/0160323X19856937
Assessment of Institutional
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Differences and Implications
David J. Helpap1
Abstract
Rural America often is portrayed in one of two ways. The first recalls quintessential American main
streets—safe, friendly, and situated in picturesque landscapes. The second depicts empty store-
fronts, public health crises, and resentment toward change. Within this complex picture of rural life,
however, are municipalities that must be managed. This research examines the use of a professional
administrator by rural communities and the degree to which the position is correlated with public
expenditures. Results indicate that use of a professional administrator is correlated with population,
partisanship, education, and wealth, but its effect on expenditures appears limited.
Keywords
rural, local governments, professional administrator, public management, public expenditures
Discussions of rural America, whether in the
care (Warshaw 2017), and other supportive ser-
media or in academic research, often are
vices is severely limited. In one assessment,
framed by two seemingly incompatible percep-
Conn (2017) argues, “rural America has
tions (Catlaw and Stout 2016; Folz and French
become the new inner-city.”
2005). The first generally evokes thoughts of
Within this complex and dynamic picture of
picturesque rolling fields, safe communities,
rural life, however, are local governments that
friendly neighbors, and a slower pace of life.
provide services on a daily basis. Permits are
In contrast, the second depicts antiquated and
issued, potholes are filled, elections are admi-
sometimes hostile attitudes toward change,
nistered, and challenges are met to the degree
entrenched political polarization, limited
expertise and resources allow (Brown 1980).
employment opportunities, and main streets
Nonetheless, the state of public management
that consist of nothing but long-shuttered retail
stores and restaurants. More recently, a flurry
of studies and media reports have highlighted
1 Department of Public and Environmental Affairs, Univer-
the latter by painting an increasingly grim pic-
sity of Wisconsin–Green Bay, Green Bay, WI, USA
ture of the problems faced by rural America.
Crises of addiction (van Vlaanderen 2018), sui-
Corresponding Author:
David J. Helpap, Department of Public and Environmental
cide (Maciag 2018), and poverty (Booker 2018)
Affairs, University of Wisconsin–Green Bay, 2420 Nicolet
are growing, while access to higher education
Dr., Green Bay, WI 54311, USA.
(Hanford and Baumhardt 2017), quality health
Email: helpapd@uwgb.edu

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Helpap
7
in rural localities is relatively unknown. Few
these questions, data from 332 rural cities and
studies have systemically examined this subset
villages in Wisconsin are used.
of local governments specifically. Of those that
The following sections summarize relevant
have, there is agreement about the unique
literature on rural local governments, provide
nature of these communities, the significant
a brief overview of scholarship on the use and
gap in existing scholarship, and the importance
implications of professional public manage-
of additional research (Catlaw and Stout 2016;
ment, explain the data and research methods,
Folz and French 2005; Trautman 2016). This is
and detail the subsequent analyses. The article
particularly important because roughly one in
concludes with a discussion of implications for
five people in the United States continue to live
both academics and practitioners. Although
in rural areas—nearly sixty million individuals
this study represents an initial effort to assess
(Ratcliffe et al. 2016).
public management within rural local govern-
As the challenges facing rural local govern-
ments, there is strong evidence to indicate that
ments increasingly mirror those of larger met-
they represent a unique category of local gov-
ropolitan areas, a greater understanding of
ernments that warrants specific and additional
public management in these communities is
attention.
needed. It is especially important to better
understand variations in fundamental institu-
tions and management practices and the poten-
Rural Local Governments
tial implications of differences. In short, what
does public management look like in rural
While there have been recent calls for greater
communities, and to what degree, if any, does
research and attention dedicated to small towns
it matter?
and rural America (Catlaw and Stout 2016;
As an initial effort to examine public
Trautman 2016), the fact remains that “small-
administration in these areas, this research
town government is one of the least researched
addresses one of the most fundamental institu-
arenas of governance” (Catlaw and Stout 2016,
tional differences among local governments—
225). This is problematic for rural commu-
the use of a professional public administrator.
nities, in particular, because “their small popu-
Although research on government structure
lations, low population densities, and isolation
and professional managers more broadly is
from urban influences cause differences in the
extensive, scholarship has primarily examined
costs, amount, and quality of public services”
large cities or large samples of local govern-
(Dougherty, Klase, and Song 1999, 17).
ments. Given the unique nature of rural com-
While limited, the scope of research on
munities, however, existing research may not
small local governments has been relatively
be generalizable to this specific subset of local
broad. Attention, for example, has been given
governments (Doungherty, Klase, and Song
to their financial management (Ekstrom
1999). As a result, two primary questions
1989), revenue diversification (Carroll and
guide this research.
Johnson 2010), rate of citizen participation
(DeSantis and Hill 2004), methods of service
delivery (Mohr, Deller, and Halstead 2010),
1.
What explains the use, or lack thereof,
and expenditures (Helpap 2017). Additionally,
of a professional public administrator
Folz and French (2005) provide a broad assess-
by rural local governments?
ment of management, decision-making, and
2.
What are the policy implications, if any,
service quality. Of particular importance for the
of employing a professional administra-
research presented here, Folz and Abdelrazek
tor in a rural community?
(2009) find a positive correlation between
small cities with a professional manager and
For the latter, total public expenditures will
higher levels of municipal services. Eskridge
be the primary policy of interest. To address
and French (2011) find a similar relationship

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8
State and Local Government Review 51(1)
between council-manager models of govern-
Klase, and Song 1999), California (Sokolow
ment and total per capita expenditures.
and Honadle 1984), Ohio (MacManus and
It is important to note, however, that small-
Pammer 1990), and Iowa (Koven and Hadwi-
ness does not necessarily mean rural. There
ger 1992), for example—an underlying theme
are many examples of local governments
across the literature is the challenge of lim-
with small populations that are, nonetheless,
ited capacity among rural governments. In
densely populated and located within major
short, these governments often are subjected
metropolitan areas or even immediately
to management and resource constraints that
adjacent to large cities. In contrast, one of the
limit their ability to provide adequate ser-
primary defining characteristics of rural com-
vices and address community problems. For
munities is their geographic separation from
some rural communities, however, one strat-
metropolitan statistical areas (Dougherty,
egy to address management capacity has
Klase, and Song 1999). When the focus is
been to adopt the council-manager form of
narrowed to rural communities specifically,
government or to hire a professional admin-
the number of existing research efforts is
istrator to oversee the daily operations of the
reduced further, and the scope of the work
local government.
narrows considerably.
The two areas that have received the most
attention include financial management and
Professional Public Management
service delivery. Regarding the former,
Doughterty, Klase, and Song (1999) find that
Historically, local governments had the
small and rural communities tend to place more
option to select from two primary forms of
emphasis on public finance issues than on the
government—the mayor-council form or the
management of finances more broadly. Addi-
council-manager form. While the defining
tional attention has been given to the budget
characteristic of the council-manager form is
process, particularly executive preparation
the presence of a professional manager, the
(Sokolow and Honadle 1984), and retrench-
distinction between the two forms has blurred
ment policies (MacManus and Pammer 1990).
substantially as mayor-council cities have
In both instances, the financial practices and
adopted characteristics once unique to
policies in rural areas appear to be notably
council-manager cities (Frederickson and
different from those in urban areas. Regarding
Johnson 2001; Frederickson, Johnson, and
service delivery, an exploration of alternative
Wood 2004). Fundamentally, hybrid or
methods of delivery in small and rural munici-
adapted cities will elect an...