Orchestrating economic development: exploring interorganizational networks in the Chicago metro area

Abstract

This dissertation used a survey research method approach to analyze intergovernmental collaboration in the Chicago metro area by exploring the social network structure of cooperation, the conditions under which local governments cooperate and the resulting outcomes of cooperation. The results suggests that communities in the Chicago metro area are spatially aware of the roles of neighboring communities in the socio-economic structure of the region, as well as the role that each community plays within the region. However, the results also reveal the presence of a sparse network between communities; primarily because intergovernmental networking is not dense in Chicago. A logistic regression model was used to test the extent to which a combination of community characteristics and intergovernmental network resources influenced voluntary cooperation. The findings suggest that some of the factors influencing cooperation include collaborative norms and trust, network centralization, the competitive development activity of local governments, and whether the leading development agency is a public-private entity. Finally, collaboration was found to be a great resource for building consensus; making the region socio-economically stronger, more efficient; and facilitating experimentation, learning and evolution in economic development. The current study aims to explore and provide a better understanding of the interorganizational efforts in the Chicago metro area, a region where research has suggested significant levels of independence and limited intraregional intergovernmental cooperation.