Bossism and outright corruption have declined as problems. Still, there remain pockets of gross inefficiency, red tape, and bureaucratic sloth. Bureaucracy creates public hostility and enervates public will. Civil service systems adopted in the Progressive reform era have all too often become albatrosses when governments attempt to change personnel to react crisply to changing demands. Liberals often defend large-city governments because the cities are home to many minorities and poor.
Conservatives tend to react viscerally to criticism of small, suburban jurisdictions.
Lost in the shuffle are needed, spirited debates about benchmarks and standards that large urban governments should be expected to achieve. A related, growing group of issues revolve about government accessibility and responsiveness to citizen and neighborhood needs. Today's society obviously wants less bureaucratic, less intrusive, and less dictating government. More than ever, reforms thought up, initiated, and pushed by communities and non-profits and civic forces are essential. Yet in one form or another, each civic effort requires government as an active, smart partner.