For our Public Affairs in 2020 meeting

Draft script for our Public Affairs in 2020 meeting:

While the world is becoming increasingly globalized, I am focusing on local government fiscal issues. Global devolution pushes more responsibilities down to lower levels of government which are closer to our daily lives. They need our help to become more responsible, viable, and accountable!

We are moving toward a new system of governance, in which governments will redefine their relations with taxpayers, with other governments, and with nonprofit or private organizations. To meet these challenges, I am doing research on how local governments get alternative sources of revenue; how they relate to each other in the overlapping and fragmented governmental system; and how they may develop alternative modes of service delivery including contracting out, privatization, or public-private partnerships. I apply the research framework across states and even beyond, because diverse contexts provide comparative perspectives to enhance our knowledge.

In terms of research methods, I am trying to integrate traditional statistical models with GIS-based spatial data analysis. I like to incorporate these skills into teaching and pass them on to students. Location matters for all social phenomena; spatial thinking with advanced modern technologies helps for understanding and solving our policy problems.

[revised on 04/07]