Local Governance and Public Finance Challenges of the Fracking Boom: Lessons for the US and Canada

Every year, IMFG awards two fellowships to graduate students at the University of Toronto who are undertaking doctoral or master’s level work in areas related to municipal finance and governance. Come learn more about the research of this year’s fellowship winners.

Hydraulic fracturing drilling – commonly known as fracking – makes up the majority of US oil output. Canada may soon follow. This presentation focused on the impacts of boom-bust resource extraction cycles on local revenues and expenditures and intergovernmental relations. During the boom, local governments must provide new infrastructure for an expanding industry and maintain social service levels for a rapidly growing population. During the bust, municipal governments may find themselves over-extended with declining revenues while facing a new set of service challenges.

About the speaker:

Austin Zwick, originally from Texas, is a PhD Candidate in Planning at the University of Toronto and an IMFG Graduate Fellow. He previously obtained a BSc in Industrial Relations and an MPA in Public Finance from Cornell University. Austin’s research interests focus on the intersection between energy and economic development, and the local governance challenges that arise because of it.