| Abstract: | This article examines state interventions, sometimes amountingto nearly total takeovers, into the affairs of financially distressedlocalities and "academically bankrupt" school districts. Drawingon several examples, this study suggests that state legislatorsand administrators have been cautious about intervening in theaffairs of specific local governments. However, the decisionsmade by state officials on how to approach intervention, particularlywhether to be reactive or proactive, and the assumptions theymake about the nature of the problems to be remedied, help determinewhether takeover is friendly or hostile and its effectiveness. |
