Collaboration among local governments occurs through a range of mechanisms, which vary in degree of formality from contracts and ad hoc agreements to full consolidation. Prior work indicates that local decision makers favor formal mechanisms when expected gains from less formal collaboration may not be realized. This article explicates the concept of collaboration risk, treating it as a product of the likelihood that collaboration fails and the severity of consequences should failure occur. We examine how characteristics of a local service contribute to collaboration risk and thereby influence the choice to consolidate service delivery. Focusing on the case of drinking water provision, we identify physical and financial features of service delivery that contribute to the likelihood and severity of collaboration failure. Drawing on seven case studies of water system consolidation, we then analyze the importance of these service characteristics in the choice to enter into consolidation agreements.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.