Book Reviews

摘要

As the number of special districts across the United States grew dramatically during the postwar era, so did their reputation for inefficiency and insularity. Many observers still dismiss special districts as a particularly noxious form of "hidden government" operating behind the scenes to circumvent debt limits and underwrite public infrastructure for the benefit of private developers. Even worse, the data surrounding this most plentiful of local governments are incomplete and somewhat compromised. Consequently, special districts remain the least understood and most disrespected element of American federalism.