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human, physical, technological, informational, and other
necessary resources to achieve a specific goal (Gazley, 2008;
Ingraham, Joyce, & Donahue, 2003). Previous studies have
discussed how a government’s capacity influences its
performance (Ingraham et al., 2003), innovation adoption (Kim
& Lee, 2009), and implementation of indirect governance and
privatization (Kettl, 1988; Rainey, 2003). Organizational
capacity can also be viewed as one determinant of collaboration
(Agranoff & McGuire, 2003; Bardach, 1998; Gazley, 2008;
O’Leary et al., 2009). When an organization has higher capacity
(i.e., sufficient human, financial, and technological resources
and knowledge), a clear strategic plan, and effective
implementation power, it is expected that collaboration will be
easier and more likely to occur. This is because an organization
with a higher capacity is expected to have a better ability to deal
with complex issues and difficulties while implementing
collaborative actions. From the organizational legitimacy
perspective, an organization with strong capacity may be viewed
as a model organization, which attracts other organizations that
want to improve their reputation, intelligence, and legitimacy to
collaborate with them (DiMaggio & Powell, 1983).
In local EM, McGuire and Silvia (2010) indicate that the
program-oriented capacity of a public manager and his or her
home organization is positively associated with a greater level of
external collaboration within that program area. In other words,
in the vertical context, local governments with stronger EM
capacities have greater abilities to implement EM policies
promulgated by state and federal governments and to give
substantive feedback. Local governments with better EM
capacities also have greater abilities to conduct EM planning and
to prepare for dealing with potential emergencies. Moreover,
they perform well when applying for grants from state and
federal governments. In the horizontal context, local
governments may include private companies and non-profit