Safeguarding the Heartland: County Government and Community Survival in the Era of Globalization

Abstract

This dissertation examines local government spending decisions in the rural Midwest in order to address the central question: How do county governments attempt to deal with the forces of globalization--including the loss of jobs and the outward migration of their young, educated population--at the same time dealing with an increasingly aged population in need of health care? This mixed method study included spending data from county budgets coupled with interviews with county commissioners; together providing insight into the ongoing process of funding health care and assistance to capital. The answer is these seemingly contradictory state functions do not conflict with one another at the county level in Iowa for the years under study. Gaming revenue emerged as an important (or sought after) revenue stream. Commissioners articulated ways they were impacted by larger social/economic forces as well as their local attempts to secure community in a globalized world.