The predominant pattern for administering governmental programs is through multiorganizational networks. Relying on a theory of resource mobilization and an analysis of allocation processes within the public sector, this paper argues that individual units within multiorganizational networks are increasingly beyond the traditional control mechanisms of the market or ballot box. The author then examines some of the advantages and problems of adapting the "responsibility center" concept for use in governmental administration. This analysis takes into account the special political and production process characteristics of organizations operating within the multiorganizational networks of the public sector. Research from several disciplines has found that local administrative units are neither homogeneous, passive, or singular, as assumed by most current administrative arrangements. This paper provides a normative administrative theory that is explicitly designed to operate within a framework of substantial local diversity and uncertainty. (Author/JG)