Dynamics of Intergovernmental Networks
Figure 2 . Observed patterns of roadway funding allocations among MPOs / RPCs in Vermont , 1999 – 2012 ( US $, Nominal ).
Remarkably , as summarized in Table 1 , we found a consistent scoring pattern for the roadway projects . The statistical scoring pattern , however , belies random allocation of funding across regions and local towns , as shown in Figure 2 . The observed funding patterns in Figure 2 are elicited from STIP 1999 – 2012 data and reveal rather a chaotic trend in terms of allocation of funding across the MPO / RPCs in the state of Vermont . The dip in total monetary allocation for roadway projects in 2006 , as shown in Figure 2 , is observed due to the change in the project scoring system . Another noticeable pattern in Figure 2 concerns the fact that some RPCs / MPO tend to receive more transportation funding for their projects than others over time . Furthermore , the relatively higher peak of funding allocation in 2010 – 2011 occurred due to the stimulus funding under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act that is not a long-term transportation program .
4 . The Structure of the Agent-Based Simulation Model
In this study , a pattern-oriented , ABM
programmed in AnyLogic Professional
Version is designed to simulate the intergovernmental decision-making process of the transportation policy implementation network shown in Figure 1 , with an explicit focus on modeling the game-like interactions between the state , regional , and local government agencies . The ABM is designed as a stochastic multilevel model with the goal to generate observed funding allocation patterns shown in Figure 2 at the RPC level . We use Grimm et al .’ s ( 2006 ) Overview , Design , and Details ( ODD ) protocol and present here brief structure of this intergovernmental ABM ( see Figure 3 ). An earlier version of the ABM with a focus on ascertaining basins of attraction in resource allocations ( Zia & Koliba , 2015 ) has been updated in this study with a calibration process implemented
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