Australian local government amalgamation: a conceptual analysis of population size and scale economies in municipal service provision
Date
2008
Authors
Dollery, B.
Byrnes, J.
Crase, L.
Editors
Advisors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type:
Journal article
Citation
Australasian Journal of Regional Studies, 2008; 14(2):167-175
Statement of Responsibility
Conference Name
Abstract
A common argument advanced by proponents of Australian local council amalgamation proposals is that 'bigger is cheaper' due inter alia to the existence of substantial economies of scale in local council service provision. This argument typically asserts that local councils with larger populations can provide municipal services at lower costs per unit of output than local authorities with smaller population bases, thereby conflating population size with the theoretically distinct concept of scale economies. This short paper examines this argument in the light of standard economic theory. We conclude that it is fallacious to use population size as a proxy for scale economies in Australian local government.
School/Discipline
Dissertation Note
Provenance
Description
Access Status
Rights
Copyright 2008 Regional Science Association