Governance of Local Infrastructure Services in the U.S.

Abstract

This paper analyses the way local decision-makers craft the different governance structures in charge of urban in- frastructure services in the U.S. After a brief survey of the theory on local governance, the study describes the U.S. regulatory framework concerning these local public ser- vices (e. g., electricity, natural gas, water, wastewater and telecommunications). Hence, the good practices in local governance are highlighted, including the de-politiciza- tion of the decision making process (regarding operational management) and the project-by-project and sustainable approaches to funding public infrastructure (e. g., by is- suing tax-exempt municipal bonds). The paper presents several lessons that might be relevant for European public managers and raises some issues that deserve further con- sideration.