Abstract
Just because government has the responsibility for providing a service does not mean it necessarily has to deliver that service (Musgrave and Musgrave 1989: 9).1 This is the fundamental insight upon which this chapter is based. Consider the case of elementary education. Local governments in the US typically operate public schools in order to carry out their responsibility for providing elementary education. However, there are several service-delivery alternatives: local governments can: (1) provide vouchers so that citizens can purchase schooling from private schools; (2) contract with private companies to operate schools; or (3) regulate parents who home school their children.
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© 2007 Daphne A. Kenyon
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Kenyon, D.A. (2007). Efficient and Equitable Service Delivery in a Federal System. In: Pagano, M.A., Leonardi, R. (eds) The Dynamics of Federalism in National and Supranational Political Systems. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230625433_12
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230625433_12
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-349-28570-9
Online ISBN: 978-0-230-62543-3
eBook Packages: Palgrave Political & Intern. Studies CollectionPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)