01175pab a2200145 454500008004000000100002100040245009000061260000900151300001300160362000800173520076100181650004100942650002100983773002501004180718b1998   xxu||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d  aBoyne, George A.  aThe determinants of variations in local service contracting: garbage in, garbage out?  c1998  ap.150-63  aSep  aEmpirical evidence on the determinants of variations in service contracting across U.S. local governments is evaluated. Four main categories of explanatory variables are analyzed; fiscal stress, scale and market structure, public preferences, and the power of public employees. The evidence contains fundamental deficiencies that include poor measures of the theoretical constructs, reciprocal relationships between contracting out and the explanatory variables, and additive tests of mediative theories. The consequence is that the determinants of service contracting remain largely undetected. Furthermore, the empirical studies add very little to the existing body of knowledge on the reasons for policy variations across local governments. - Reproduced  aMunicipal government - United States  aLocal government  aUrban Affairs Review