Delivery by Design: Intermunicipal Contracting, Shared Services, and Canadian Local Government

Municipalities in Canada have a range of servicing options, including in-house provision or privatization. Delivery by Design examines why municipalities cooperate, what is shared or contracted with other governments, and what leads to successful or unsuccessful relationships. It finds that Canadian municipalities cooperate regularly in a small number of policy areas, mainly emergency and administrative services.

Format: Hardback
Length: 161 pages
Publication date: 25 August 2022
Publisher: University of Toronto Press

Municipalities in Canada possess a diverse range of options when it comes to providing or delivering local services, including water, public transit, and waste collection. These services can be delivered in-house or through privatization, or they can be contracted or jointly delivered with neighboring municipalities. This approach is becoming increasingly popular among local governments, as it allows for cost savings, improved service quality, and greater efficiency.

Delivery by Design, a book by Zachary Spicer, delves into this practice in Canadian local government by examining three crucial questions: why do municipalities cooperate, what is shared or contracted with other governments, and what leads to successful or unsuccessful relationships between municipalities? The book finds that Canadian municipalities engage in cooperative activities fairly regularly, but primarily in a limited number of policy areas, such as emergency and administrative services.

Zachary Spicer examines these types of relationships in detail, explaining how they will become increasingly important in the future as local services are shared or jointly delivered by municipal governments. The book relies on extensive data and document collection, surveys, and a series of primary interviews with local decision-makers to explore the nature of interlocal collaboration in Canada, a process that is relatively understudied in local governance.

Overall, Delivery by Design provides valuable insights into the dynamics of interlocal collaboration in Canada and its potential to improve local service delivery. It is a must-read for policymakers, local government officials, and anyone interested in understanding the challenges and opportunities of municipal cooperation in the 21st century.

Weight: 416g
Dimension: 160 x 240 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781487505240