Federal and State Impact on Local Governments

On the basis of a survey of 665 city and county chief executives in eight states, the authors examine the perceived impact of state and federal institutions on local government. The state legislature is the institution most often cited for its influence, and the institutions at the state level are generally perceived as more influential than those at the federal level. Centralization of state-local relations is found to be correlated negatively with perceived influence by state institutions.