THE FISCAL ORGANIZATION OF METROPOLITAN-AREAS - THE ALLEGHENY-COUNTY CASE RECONSIDERED

Is consolidation of local governments within metropolitan areas desira ble?. The ''traditional reform approach'' advocates greater consolidat ion to promote efficiency and equity. However; recent studies by the U .S. Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations (ACIR), relying on a ''public choice approach,'' argue that formally fragmented syste ms can produce self-determination, citizen choice, competition, fiscal equivalence, accountability and representation. This study reassesses the evidence presented in the ACIR study an Allegheny County. While c oncurring that traditional reform efforts are poorly conceptualized; t he findings show that fiscal disparities among Allegheny County munici palities persist and have significantly increased over the past decade . These findings, taken together with those from citizen surveys, chal lenge rite conceptual foundations and policy implications of both appr oaches.