Municipal Autonomy Research Articles

The Directions of Spatial Development of Metropolitan Areas in Poland Based on the Automated Typology of the MA Localities as a Sustainable Solution to the Urban Sprawl Issue

Urban settlements in Poland have developed over time, leading to problems such as overpopulation and spatial expansion, which threaten the environment and create spatial chaos. Changes in the demographic structure in Poland led to the need for systematized settlement development. Since 1989, Polish urban areas have undergone significant metamorphosis, with some becoming depopulated and others becoming metropolitan areas. The high autonomy of municipalities allowed for uncontrolled growth of the settlement network, also in typically rural directions. The 2006 Act mandated regional development strategies and urban spatial development plans for voivodship self-governments, but this has not produced adequate results. Cities continue to grow, often causing problems for society, local authorities, and natural ecosystems. This study examined the potential for urban settlement development using k-means cluster analysis to calculate the buildable area, taking in the detail of three case studies: Warsaw, Lodz, and Olsztyn. This allowed the classification of towns into zones corresponding to their level of urbanization. The k-means method used in the study gave similar and even more efficient results than the manual classification. This may contribute to stopping the growing urban expansion into rural areas inadequately prepared for the change in urban structure. This research can help to maintain sustainability and compensate for the problems of pollution in urban and rural areas.

The organizational challenges of municipal call centers as a health service in Norway-a multiple case study

BackgroundTo maintain sustainability in the health care system, technology such as social alarms and sensors has been implemented in people’s homes with the goal of increasing independent living for elderly and multimorbid health care recipients. When implementing technology, someone needs to monitor and answer the alarms and calls, which is often coined ‘telecare’. Many countries have organized telecare service in call centers, which in the health care domain is a service innovation. This study aims to research how call centers in Norway were organized, what services they offered, and what challenges they faced.MethodThis was an explorative study, using multiple case methodology. The study included five call centers, covering approximately 60 municipalities across Norway. 11 interviews with 15 informants, holding a variety of positions, such as managers, assistant managers, health personnel, technicians, advisors, and subject coordinators, call center observations and document studies were conducted. The data was analyzed inductively, and empirical literature as well as a framework for service innovation were used as theoretical perspectives.ResultsFour types of organizational structures of call centers were identified: 1) call center combined with emergency room; 2) call center combined with other technology; 3) call center combined with ambulant team and 4) call center combined with an advisory department. One factor for innovation success has been identified as market conditions which are expected to be increasing, whilst the study identified several challenges, for example the complexity of stakeholders. Based on different stakeholder worldviews, the various methods of innovation and organization have led to a variation in services.ConclusionsStakeholders with different worldviews, service innovation strategies and municipal autonomy have influenced how the call centers have developed in different directions. They are still in a service innovation phase, implementing new services and technology. The call centers appeared to be ‘caught between a rock and a hard place’ – situated between health and social care, but slowly moving towards acute and contingency services, that is, from telecare towards telehealth.

Improving the budgetary policy of municipalities

The subject of the study is financial relations of municipalities in terms of income generation. The purpose of the article is to disclose and justify measures to increase fairness of the distribution of personal income tax by fixing the share of such a tax for the municipality in which the citizen lives but does not work. The research methods are general scientific (analysis, synthesis, deduction, classification, work with sources) and empirical ones (horizontal analysis). The article considers the problem of imbalance of local budgets caused by pendulum migration and, consequently, by outflow of income from municipalities. An information and software solution has been proposed to ensure the fair distribution of part of the personal income tax between municipalities by the place of residence and work of taxpayers. The logical model of the proposed solution and necessary changes in legislation for its implementation are described. The scope of application is the budget system of the Russian Federation, namely the spheres of municipal finance. Further research should be aimed at identifying additional reserves for strengthening the financial autonomy of municipalities. The expected results of the work include improving the financial situation of the population, optimising the budget system and leveling the level of development of municipalities. The importance of the proposed solution for balanced regional development and improving the quality of life of citizens is emphasised.

A Candle in the Wind? The Tax Autonomy of Hungarian Municipalities in Light of the Coronavirus Pandemic

Abstract This article aims to offer a brief introduction to the system of local tax autonomy in Hungary, primarily by accentuating its peculiar features compared to other systems used in the region. Particular attention is paid to the local business tax, a less typical source of local revenue, which constitutes the backbone of the Hungarian system, and to the relatively recently introduced possibility for local authorities to levy so-called ‘settlement taxes’ on an open-list basis. The author then describes how the coronavirus pandemic and the measures aimed at mitigating its economic consequences affected local governments’ financing mechanism and fiscal capacity. Finally, by drawing conclusions from these occurrences, the resilience of local tax autonomy in Hungary is evaluated.

Enhancing Management Capacities for Rural Tourism Development: A Perspective from University-Industry Collaboration

Introduction: Municipal autonomy in crafting and executing local development strategies is pivotal for reducing reliance on central authority and fostering solutions to economic, social, and environmental challenges at the grassroots level. Strengthening management capacities within each municipality is therefore crucial for driving local initiatives that effectively address these issues. Objective: To identify, through university-industry collaboration, strategies for expanding management capacities for rural tourism as a catalyst for local development at the municipal level. Methodology: This research adopts a descriptive, qualitative approach. Methods such as documentary analysis, scientific observation, and interviews were employed to underpin the proposal, drawing from experiences in the Avileño municipalities of Florencia, Chambas, and Bolivia. Results: Several integrated actions and workshops have been structured within the university-industry-municipality framework, offering a suite of tools that enhance learning and foster innovative management capacities at the municipal level, with a focus on leveraging tourism activity for local development. Conclusions: The proposed actions and workshops represent a significant stride in rural tourism management within these municipalities. Establishing structures and operational systems is crucial for driving the local economy and organizing knowledge in tourism, thus facilitating a direct impact on local development.

Russia and China: Prospects for the Development of Urban Agglomerations

This research is aimed at studying the development of cities and agglomerations, which is an urgent problem equally for the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation. The level of urbanization increases with the development of territories, which makes it necessary to comprehend the processes taking place in urbanized regions and make management decisions to improve the quality of life and equalize it throughout the territory. Within the framework of these processes, the role of core cities remains, which are the centres of preferential development for the entire urban system as a whole.Aim. Comparative analysis of development trends in urbanized regions of China and Russia.Tasks. To analyse the main parameters of the quality of life in large cities of Russia and China. To consider the main trends in the development of urban agglomerations in the direction of its alignment. To determine the development and possibilities of mutual use of the experience of both countries in this process.Methods. The study uses a systematic approach with elements of a structural and functional approach and a comparative research method.Results and conclusion. As the main trends in the development of urbanized regions of Russia and China, the following are highlighted: the growth of the scale of territories and the concentration of a significant population on them, the associated aggravation of a number of problems, such as increasing competition in the integrated labour market, standardization and unification of the p rovision of basic services, increasing burden on local budgets and often limiting the autonomy of municipalities, the need to improve transport systems to increase the mobility of the population throughout the territory of the agglomeration.

Coping strategies for COVID-19 primary care: a mixed method study.

This article aims to analyse the COVID-19 coping strategies adopted by municipal health managers in two regions. A mixed method study of the sequential explanatory type was carried out with municipal health managers and primary care coordinators. The quantitative stage was developed with the application of an instrument to 42 managers to identify coping actions and associations with demographic and epidemiological data of COVID-19 in the municipalities. The results aimed at the definition of 15 participants and the collection of data in the qualitative stage, enabling approximation of the meta inferences of the study. Of the actions implemented, there were immediate actions to monitor cases, organize new care flows and encourage the population to adopt nonpharmacological measures. Regional articulation was the device that allowed for expansion and municipal autonomy for testing, reducing contamination and deaths among citizens. Municipal coping strategies that focused on the surveillance of cases and expansion of testing showed positive outcomes in terms of the number of infections and deaths from COVID-19.

Regulation of the subject of property tax and the principle of financial autonomy of municipalities

The real property tax, which is the own income of municipalities, is the most efficient source of income amongst all other taxes of local communities under this category. At the same time, it is a well-established approach in legal scholars writings that the higher the local self-governments own income, the greater its financial independence. Thus, respecting the constitutional principles of the local self-government, the legislator is responsible for structuring the legal regulations on the particular own revenues of the local self-government in such a way so as not to lead to such an interpretation that would jeopardize the efficiency of the given revenue source or, potentially, pose a risk of reducing the self-government's independence. Regulating the subject of taxation of the real property tax, as in the case of any public law levy, requires adherence to higher standards of the legislative procedure. Thanks to it, both the public interest (interest of the local self-government) and the legal and economic interest of the taxpayer may be secured. The article presents not only examples of the legislator's omissions in respecting the principles of proper legislation with regard to the subject of property taxation. Above all, the author pointed out the connection between the failure to respect the principles of proper legislation and the risk of limiting the financial independence of municipalities. In view of the conclusions reached, it was also necessary to indicate de lege ferenda conclusions.

DEVELOPMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND DECENTRALIZATION IN BULGARIA (1879-2023): A COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS

The present article aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the development of local governance and decentralization in Bulgaria from 1879 to 2023. By tracing normative changes, institutional transformations, and issues related to local governance, the article focusses on fiscal decentralization as a challenging area for the advancement of local self-government. The analysis encompasses key aspects such as state status quo and administrative-territorial autonomy, cooperation between central and local authorities, municipal administrative capacity, and the involvement of civil society in local decision-making processes. Throughout the period examined, Bulgaria has experienced significant progress in establishing good practices of local self-government, striving to promote greater autonomy and responsibility among local bodies. Based on the analysis of the regulatory framework and empirical data, it is evident that the highest level of development lies in political decentralization, while the most unresolved problems exist in the financial sphere. Although increased financial autonomy of municipalities has been observed, including their independent determination of tax revenues, administrative procedures for tax collection, and others, Bulgarian municipalities still heavily depend on the central government in terms of transfers, which constitute the main portion of their budgets.

Gestão estadual da atenção primária à saúde em resposta à COVID-19 na Bahia, Brasil

Abstract This is an analysis of state management of Primary Health Care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bahia. It is a qualitative case study with interviews with managers and regulatory documents analyzed according to the categories of government project and government capacity. State PHC proposals were debated in the Bipartite Intermanagerial Commission and in the Public Health Operational Emergency Committee. The scope of the PHC project focused on the definition of specific actions to manage the health crisis with the municipalities. The institutional support of the state to the municipalities modulated inter-federative relations and was decisive in the elaboration of municipal contingency plans, training of teams and production and dissemination of technical standards. The capacity of the state government was dependent upon the degree of municipal autonomy and the availability of state technical references in the regions. The state strengthened institutional partnerships for dialogue with municipal managers, but mechanisms for articulation with the federal level and social control were not identified. This study contributes to the analysis of the role of states in the formulation and implementation of PHC actions mediated by inter-federative relationships in emergency public health contexts.

The Effects of Fiscal Decentralisation on Publicly Provided Services and Labour Market.

This paper studies how fiscal decentralization affects local services. It explores a 1993 reform that increased the fiscal autonomy of Italian municipalities by replacing government transfers with revenues from a local property tax. Our identification leverages cross-municipal variation in the degree of decentralization that stems from differences in the average age of buildings caused by bombings during WWII. Decentralization reduced local spending but expanded municipal services, such as nursery schools. These effects are larger in areas with greater political competition. The paper also investigates how the reform affected labor markets. Decentralization increased female labor supply-probably through expanded availability of nursery schools- thereby reducing the gender gap in employment.

Intervention in South African municipalities: Dangers and remedies

South Africa’s Constitution guarantees municipal autonomy; at the same time it enjoins the different elements of the state to co-ordinate their efforts through ‘co-operative government’ and, in conjunction with legislation, it under some circumstances permits (or even requires) provincial and national government to intervene in local government affairs to secure effective government and oversight. These powers of intervention, justified by reference to s 139 of the Constitution, range from disciplining errant councillors to the forced dissolution of non-performing municipalities. Some welcome such intervention as a counterweight to local-level corruption and inefficiency, but in a partisan environment, especially where different spheres are controlled by different parties or coalitions accountable to distinctive electorates, these powers of intervention are, we argue, open to political abuse. This abuse is likely to become more prevalent as unstable local coalition governments become more common, providing more pretexts for intervention and opportunities for councillors in political minorities to subvert their own councils in the hope of inviting intervention by higher-tier actors associated with their own party. In line with the 2021 Constitutional Court case censuring the dissolution of Tshwane Municipality by the Gauteng government, we argue for restricting grounds for intervention, especially more radical forms of intervention. As far as possible, the task of removing corrupt and inefficient local councils and councillors should be left to local voters.

Informalität im regionalen Wachstumsprozess. Einblick in eine „Black Box“ der Planungspraxis am Beispiel Luxemburgs

This paper deals with the management of settlement growth in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg from the perspective of informality. Luxembourg is subject to high demographic and economic growth pressures across all parts of the country (capital, old-industrialized South, rural North), which strongly challenges the current planning system. At the same time, there is no formal regional planning, apart from approaches of inter-municipal cooperation, which are mainly voluntary in nature. Drawing on empirical case studies in two high-growth municipalities (Junglinster, Schuttrange), the paper outlines planning decisions in the institutional triangle between municipality, state and private institutions. Informality serves here not only to compensate for a lack of planning control, but also to deal with the country’s complex legal framework conditions. The vital interests of landowners come into play informally as well: since parts of the country’s wealth emerge from the valorization of property, speculative interests are immanent, and thus block development processes. In this context, the paper addresses elements of a regional growth management that could close the gap that exists between state planning and municipal autonomy.

Pointing out the false autonomy of Brazilian municipalities: the “quality of the Federation” drawn by the Rule of Law and its impact on promoting the common good

This paper addresses the problem of promoting the common good at the local governments. To demonstrate how Law should be seen primarily to a positive task (human flourishing), and to show how enaction and implementation of rights are strictly connected, it is presented the hypothesis in which the “quality of the Federation” (arrangement of competences, goods and incomes drawn in a Federal Rule of Law) is determinant in shaping a linear relation between the “ends elected” by a given community and the “means purposed” by the State administration to fulfill those ends. In this sense, the paper is divided in two sections, each one conducted from methodology of literary review and data analysis. The first section deals with the concept of common good and the perspective of using indicators to measure it. The second section takes the example of Brazilian Federation arrangement drawn in its Constitution to demonstrate the hypothesis. In the end, it is concluded that Brazil lives a false autonomy at the Municipalities level, and this false autonomy constitutionally designed can be a cause of genetic problems in achieving a dynamic of the common good.

Economic Activity of Residents and Revenue Autonomy of Municipalities in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Theoretical background: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has had far reaching effects on different strata of socio-economic life, including the financial well-being of residents and the financial situation of local government units. Generally, research papers either approach “local development” conceptually or quantify data regarding a certain locality: demographic structure, residents’ education, condition of the labour market, residents’ income and their technological literacy. This paper is an attempt to arrive at a larger picture and identify the interdependence between economic activity of residents and financial autonomy of the local government, and secondly, to pinpoint the impact the COVID-19 pandemic had on these categories. Purpose of the article: The purpose of the paper is to identify residents’ income sources and the dependence between them and the development potential of the municipality they live in. The paper examines residents’ revenue, income and income tax advance payments. The survey covers all municipalities in Poland according to their formal administrative status: urban, rural, urban-rural and cities with powiat rights. The research covers the period of 2015–2020, as per data availability. Research methods: The paper applied monograph methodology to review the literature on the subject, and comparative methodology to process quantitative data, which allowed the authors to calculate all deviations. Next, the economic phenomena were assessed, i.e. their nature (positive or negative) and frequency of occurrence were determined according to an assessment scale where the base is the starting point. The structure of the number of taxpayers, their revenues and incomes was compared by sources of income, in result of which hierarchy of income sources was created for each municipality. Following that, the main income sources were analysed and correlated with the municipality’s own (tax) revenue. To enable comparability of diagnostic variables, the zero unitarisation method was applied. Main findings: The findings reveal that the main sources of residents’ income include salaries, pensions and disability pensions, non-agricultural economic activity, wages and contractual income. Revenue streams generated from residents’ economic activity show a variance across municipalities. The results obtained confirm the dependence between residents’ economic activity and own revenue sources of local government units. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the relationship between taxpayers’ income from particular sources and revenue autonomy of municipalities and cities with powiat rights varies by the type of municipality. Thus, the findings clearly demonstrate that residents’ economic activity is an endogenous resource that definitely affects municipal development. For local authorities, understanding economic realities of residents may be a game changer and an insight that will help them create environments conducive to socioeconomic growth.

Financial stability and independence of municipalities in Ukraine

The article assesses the local budgets independence using statistiсal methods and includes system dynamics research with a simplified explanatory model of aggregated municipal deposits. Using the method of analytical equalization, the share of local budgets’ own funds was calculated, as they are a source of financial stability and independence.A system dynamics hypothesis and model revealed important feedback mechanisms that play a role in financial autonomy and general financial well-being of municipalities – a higher deficit drives a higher debt that drives a higher deficit back; lower local tax revenues will bring higher transfers in the upcoming year; negative population growth decreases consumption, labor force, and other indicators, etc. The general reason for low financial autonomy lies in high dependency on transfers and income-based taxes, while taxes that are classified as local lay on businesses, which need more support. Some aspects revealed the need for deeper research and addition to the model – municipal borrowing and property markets. The model has been validated and built confidence through various tests, but yet it has serious assumptions, limitations, and aspects outside of the model boundary. Nevertheless the model has a potential for expansion and solving mode issues regarding this system or to be recalibrated for specific reasons and areas. The research can be used by the municipalities in Ukraine and needs to be updated with new data and expanded.
 JEL classification: E62, H21, H61, H72

Recording, Reporting, and Utilizing School Attendance Data in Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway: A Nordic Comparison

The compulsory educational context and school systems within the Nordic countries Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway share fundamental similarities, facilitating comparison across these countries. In this study, we describe and compare existing practices of recording, reporting, and utilizing school attendance data in four countries. In Sweden, Finland, and Norway there is a lack of national guidelines and agreements of how to record, report, and use school attendance data. Municipal autonomy has led to a variety of recording and reporting practices, which then lead to lack of comparable data and wider use of the data gathered. Denmark has a national registry of attendance data, and schools are required to report the data to municipal level. There are more specific guidelines regarding recording and reporting in Denmark compared to Sweden, Finland, and Norway. Problems with school non-attendance are well recognized in the North, but ways of recording and responding to absenteeism are still versatile. This leads to inconsistencies both within and between the countries. Due to variations of the way attendance is recorded, the quality of the national registry of data in Denmark can be questioned. A unified approach to inform research and practice to include formalized definitions of school absence in the Nordic Education Acts are suggested. It requires schools to record and report attendance data within a national register and finding a reliable way to differentiate problematic from non-problematic absenteeism.

FINANCIAL DECENTRALIZATION IN UKRAINE IN THE CONTEXT OF EUROPEAN TRENDS

Decentralization is considered one of the most successful reforms in Ukraine. It has become a decisive factor in the social and economic development of the country. As a result of the reform, a significant amount of powers and sources of financial resources were transferred from the state authorities as close as possible to the people – to territorial communities in the form of local self-government bodies. Decentralization processes are dominant in the developed countries of the world and involve strengthening the financial autonomy of municipalities. However, in contrast to European countries, Ukraine remains a state in which extensive methods of economic development are preserved.The article is devoted to the study of the process of financial decentralization in Ukraine, which was carried out in the context of European trends. It is justified that powers between the levels of power and management should be demarcated according to the principle of subsidiarity. The article analyzes the degree of decentralization of revenues of local budgets of Ukraine and the countries of the European Union. The current system of local taxation in Ukraine has been studied. According to the results of the study, problems related to financial decentralization were identified. The search for ways to increase local communities' own incomes and ways to increase the autonomy of local self-government bodies was carried out. Proposals have been developed to improve the efficiency of tax revenue generation, which aims to help strengthen the financial independence of local budgets at the current stage of development.

Institutional-cultural coherence and economic development: The case of the Spanish regions

We explore how cultural traits coherent with liberal institutions affect economic performance. The matching between cultural traits and institutions is what we refer to as cultural-institutional coherence. We study how cultural-institutional coherence influenced the paths followed by Spanish regions after Spain's liberal reforms in the 19th century. We argue that these liberal reforms brought important changes to Spain's institutions and contributed to inducing a major rearrangement in the distribution of economic development across the country's regions. This process favored regions with cultural traits that were more coherent with liberal institutions. We address endogeneity issues using the disparate political paths that the regions followed in their distant pasts. We characterize political paths in terms of Municipal autonomy in the Middle Ages, as well as Constraints on the executive in the early modern period which, we argue, are good instruments for these cultural traits.

La metamorfosis del federalismo mexicano. ¿Hacia un federalismo asimétrico?

The international doctrine has agreed that federalism cannot be immutable, however, in Mexico, it is conceived as an irreformable constitutional principle, which has made it very difficult to adapt it to the needs of the country. Although federalism has mutated from dual federalism to national federalism, this has always been considered an attack on the federal principles of free and sovereign states and municipal autonomy. The polarization of the country makes it necessary to rethink the system of distribution of competencies, perhaps towards an asymmetrical model, where differentiated rules are established according to the different realities of the country.