View in EDS HTML Full Text PDF Full Text

Minifying Government: The Unintended Consequences of the Bergman Secondary Road Act of 1929.

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Minifying Government: The Unintended Consequences of the Bergman Secondary Road Act of 1929.
Authors: Peter Beck, J. (AUTHOR), Rice, Tom W. (AUTHOR)
Source: Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell). Dec2004, Vol. 85 Issue 4, p1012-1029. 18p. 2 Charts, 2 Graphs.
Subjects: Highway law, Rural roads, Roads, Local government, Political science
Geographic Terms: Iowa
Abstract: Objective. In 1929, Iowa adopted the Bergman Secondary Road Act, which transferred control of the state's rural roads from the townships to the counties. This study examines the interesting and potentially important unintended consequences of the law. Method. We gathered the minutes from 2,275 Iowa township meetings in 20 townships from 1917 to 1950 to investigate the effect of the Bergman Act. Results. Multiple regression analysis shows that this apparently innocuous Act turned out to have dramatic and unintended consequences on Iowa's township governments. Without responsibility for the roads, township government activity plunged dramatically-the annual number of meetings and the length of those meetings fell by half from 1929 to 1930. The effect of the law on township activity remains substantial even after controlling for competing explanations, such as the onset of the Depression. Conclusions. The Bergman Act unintentionally caused a sharp drop in township activity and it may have initiated the gradual marginalization of Iowa township governments that continues today. It is even possible that it had a depressing effect on voter turnout in rural Iowa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
Full text is not displayed to guests.
FullText Links:
  – Type: pdflink
Text:
  Availability: 1
Header DbId: pbh
DbLabel: Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection
An: 14860934
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Minifying Government: The Unintended Consequences of the Bergman Secondary Road Act of 1929.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Peter+Beck%2C+J%2E%22">Peter Beck, J.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Rice%2C+Tom+W%2E%22">Rice, Tom W.</searchLink> (AUTHOR)
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Social+Science+Quarterly+%28Wiley-Blackwell%29%22">Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell)</searchLink>. Dec2004, Vol. 85 Issue 4, p1012-1029. 18p. 2 Charts, 2 Graphs.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Highway+law%22">Highway law</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Rural+roads%22">Rural roads</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Roads%22">Roads</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Local+government%22">Local government</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Political+science%22">Political science</searchLink>
– Name: SubjectGeographic
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Iowa%22">Iowa</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Objective. In 1929, Iowa adopted the Bergman Secondary Road Act, which transferred control of the state's rural roads from the townships to the counties. This study examines the interesting and potentially important unintended consequences of the law. Method. We gathered the minutes from 2,275 Iowa township meetings in 20 townships from 1917 to 1950 to investigate the effect of the Bergman Act. Results. Multiple regression analysis shows that this apparently innocuous Act turned out to have dramatic and unintended consequences on Iowa's township governments. Without responsibility for the roads, township government activity plunged dramatically-the annual number of meetings and the length of those meetings fell by half from 1929 to 1930. The effect of the law on township activity remains substantial even after controlling for competing explanations, such as the onset of the Depression. Conclusions. The Bergman Act unintentionally caused a sharp drop in township activity and it may have initiated the gradual marginalization of Iowa township governments that continues today. It is even possible that it had a depressing effect on voter turnout in rural Iowa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell) is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=pbh&AN=14860934
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1111/j.0038-4941.2004.00256.x
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 18
        StartPage: 1012
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Highway law
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Rural roads
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Roads
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Local government
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Political science
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Iowa
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Minifying Government: The Unintended Consequences of the Bergman Secondary Road Act of 1929.
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Peter Beck, J.
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Rice, Tom W.
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 01
              M: 12
              Text: Dec2004
              Type: published
              Y: 2004
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 00384941
          Numbering:
            – Type: volume
              Value: 85
            – Type: issue
              Value: 4
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: Social Science Quarterly (Wiley-Blackwell)
              Type: main
ResultId 1