Complex Grant-Contracting and Social Equity: Barriers to Municipal Access in Federal Block Grant Programs

ABSTRACT:

Intergovernmental granting involves complex vertical and horizontal contracting problems. The implementation of some federal social equity programs is a function, in part, of the ability of local governments to contract out. Municipalities with less administrative capacity or in high-contracting-cost environments face barriers to funding. We theorize that in some cases these problems affect equitable access to federal funding and apply this framework to the state-administered nonentitlement Community Development Block Grant (NE-CDBG) program. Utilizing a zero-inflated negative binomial regression, we examine 250 small municipal governments to test the relationship between number of NE-CDBGs grants awarded in 2000–2003 and obstacles to contracting out. Our findings suggest that needs-based access to federal funds is distorted when small cities face obstacles to contracting out as a local managerial strategy. Competitive grant processes and the council-manager form of government also influence grant access, but low- to moderate-income populations do not track the number of grants in an expected direction. Our findings highlight concerns about the ability of small municipalities to access intergovernmental grant programs.

KEYWORDS::

• community development
• contracting
• grants
• intergovernmental relations
• social equity

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Brian K. Collins

Brian K. Collins is Associate Professor of Public Administration at the University of North Texas, Denton, TX. He researches intergovernmental granting, volunteering, citizen satisfaction, and consumer behavior in the public sector. His research has appeared in American Review of Public Administration, Public Administration Quarterly, and Public Administration Review.

Simon A. Andrew

Simon A. Andrew is Associate Professor of Public Administration and Ph. D. program coordinator at the University of North Texas, Denton, TX. His research centers on organizational resiliency in Thailand, and he is currently studying interorganizational collaboration, disaster recovery and response, and issues related to metropolitan governance. His research has appeared in American Review of Public Administration, Public Management Review, Natural Hazard Review, Disasters, Urban Affairs Review, and Urban Studies.

Somporn Khunwishit

Somporn Khunwishit is a lecturer in the Department of Public Administration and Management at the Prince of Songkla University, Hat Yai, Songkhla, Thailand. His area of research specialization is disaster management in Thailand.