John Fox, Jr., Appalachian Author (Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies, 6)

There are many types of regional government agencies: planning commissions, councils of governments, advisory committees, allocation agencies, special purpose regional agencies. Even so, innovative approaches to regional government and cooperation among general-purpose local governments are relatively recent phenomena.

The first section of this volume provides the reader with a comprehensive overview of regional government in general and of recent regional government innovations throughout the nation in particular. The second section provides 25 case studies of outstanding examples of public and nonprofit initiatives and programs that promote regional government. The final section studies current trends in regional governance, the evolving role of regional councils, and the challenges posed by global competition. A directory of regional and national resource organizations as well as a comprehensive annotated bibliography are included.