The US Local Government Organisation: Origins, Development, and Federal Implications

The chapter analyses the organisation of local authorities in the United States of America. The analysis starts with an examination of the constitutional principle of separation of powers, to ascertain whether its application today corresponds to the Founding Fathers’ idea of it. The constitutional organisation of local governments is analysed, therefore, starting from its historical foundation and continuing through its evolution over time. Relevance is then given on surveying the current organisational structure of US local governments (county governments, municipal governments, township governments, special districts, and school districts). The concluding remarks highlight, from the perspective of US federalism, the intercurrent relations both between local authorities themselves and between them and state entities.