Organizing Local Interests – A Resource-based Analysis of Collective Action of Local Government Associations in Germany and the United States

Local Government Associations (LGAs) play an important role in intergovernmental relations, by representing the interests of local authorities towards federal politics. Yet, we lack knowledge how they gain collective action. Getting a better understanding about LGAs’ degrees of collective action gives a first impression how effectively they can fulfill their tasks and influence federal politics. Former interest group literature emphasized that resources are an essential element for successful action. Resource mobilization theory argue that resources are important for getting organized and a group´s success depends on the strategic use of its resources. Resource exchange theory has identified that the equipment with resources matter for getting access to higher levels of government. Combining insights from those two strands of theories, this paper examines how the equipment with resources impact LGAs' organizational designs and the way they try to get access to federal governments. More specifically, it studies how the equipment with different types of resources, including financial and organizational capacities, information, and membership coverage, shapes their internal organization and procedures. Empirically, the paper investigates six LGAs in Germany and the United States using information from expert interviews and organizational data. The different types of resources are mapped across the six LGAs, producing specific patterns of organizational designs. Comparing the equipment with resources between LGAs in Germany and the United States enables to get a better understanding of intergovernmental relations in two countries with different federal designs.