Abstract
This article provides an assessment of the nature and functioning of Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in the metropolitan area of the Southern California region. While modern BIDs date back to the mid-1960s, the emergence of BIDs is a relatively new phenomenon. The increasing numbers of BID in metropolitan areas have governance and jurisdictional implications. These implications are the central concern of this article. The governance and jurisdictional issues are examined with four research questions: Why and how were BIDs established? How do BIDs function? How are BIDs held accountable? Are BIDs effective? This article relies on case study research of five BIDs located in various areas of Southern California. Interviews were conducted with BID managers and local government representatives. Contextual information was gathered from state laws, official documents, and websites.