Inter-municipal Cooperation Research Articles

MESOECONOMIC FACTORS OF INTERMUNICIPAL COOPERATION AS A TOOL FOR THE INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS IN POLAND

Rural development issues include also those areas of economic politics and public policies which are connected with intermunicipal cooperation. It appears that development programming based on traditional pro-competitive tools and actions is inadequate. This article identifies the chosen aspects of integrated rural development in Poland which refer to the cooperation between local governments aimed at territorial development and, in particular, the development of rural functional areas. An attempt is made to define an intermunicipal cooperation model based on the analysis of rural municipalities’ potential for development. The empirical research was conducted with the application of the Aggregate Indicator of Local Development defined for Polish local government units in the years 2008-2014, evaluated in 2018-2020. Conclusions and recommendations were made on the basis of the current status of knowledge, own research and the principles of descriptive economics.

Communities of Rivne region in the cultural process civil society creation

The purpose of the article is to systematize the regional material on the cultural approach of communities to the development of civil society. The research methodology was based on the use of general scientific and special methods. The method of theoretical generalization was used to develop the concept of the stated topic and develop recommendations for improving the development of territorial communities, which are presented in the conclusions. The culturological method allowed to analyze the resource and cultural potential of civil society development in the regional dimension. Methods of systematization and comparison made it possible to identify features of socio-cultural development of different territorial communities of the Rivne region. The scientific novelty of the work is to identify the cultural potential of territorial communities to build civil society in Ukraine. Conclusions. Problems of territorial communities are typical for Ukraine: insufficiency and inefficiency of financing; inconsistency and imperfection of the existing infrastructure; lack of quality roads; inconsistency of work or lack of CNAPs; obsolescence of premises in need of repair or reconstruction; staff shortage, etc. Activation of communities affects the development of civil society, which in turn is a stimulating factor for their development. Ways to improve the development of territorial communities are inter-municipal cooperation in all spheres of community life; providing quality services to citizens; job creation not only for young people but for all citizens; cluster approach (a partnership between public, private, civic structures) to the implementation of cultural activities for the formation of the regional cultural space; the cultural heritage of territorial communities as a basic basis of regional development; introduction of innovations, including digitalization, in community development; the synergy of modern information technologies at the community level as a way to timely public awareness of local cultural and artistic projects and activation of citizens to participate in them. Key words: civil society, territorial communities, identity, cultural potential, cultural and artistic projects, Rivne region.

Inter-municipal cooperation based on Institutional Collective Action: the effects of public health consortia in Brazil

Abstract This article adopts institutional collective action (ICA) to verify the difference in collective effects when observing inter-municipal cooperation arrangements to provide public health in Brazil (public health consortia). The study compares municipalities that joined consortia in 2009/2010 and municipalities that did not join until 2015. The analysis estimated collective effects of public health consortia and how they relate to contextual variables of policies in this area in the country. The methodology is longitudinal-retrospective deductive research, using the difference-in-differences statistical technique. The results show that municipalities engaged in local inter-municipal cooperation to provide public health in Brazil improved the services in terms of outpatient appointments and the number of primary health care (PHC) consultations, as well as reducing infant deaths.

MECHANISMS AND INSTRUMENTS FOR PROMOTING OF INTERMUNICIPAL ECONOMIC COOPERATION IN TERRITORIALCOMMUNITIES OF UKRAINE

Introduction. The article considers the scientific principles of solving the problem of intensifying of territorial communities cooperation in the field of economic development based on the use of mechanisms and tools of financial, budgetary, organizational, informational stimulation of communities cooperation, according to their specialization advantages, prerequisites for building and improving of horizontal links. Goal of the article is to identify scientifically substantiated measures to stimulate economic development and cooperation of communities in Ukraine using mechanisms and tools of financial, economic, tax, organizational, information support for joint participation in the inter-territorial division of labor. Research methods: for the solving of the problem methods of statistical, logical, systematic analysis are used to identify the causes of changes in the dynamics of cooperation agreements of communities, and the method of synthesis of mechanisms and tools to enhance cooperation of local communities in economic development are also used. Results. The assessment of institutional support, dynamics and structure of territorial communities cooperation in Ukraine is carried out and the tendency of increase and gradual decrease of activity of their cooperation is revealed. Referring to the international experience of community cooperation, it is established that with the help of inter-municipal cooperation it is possible to ensure the socio-economic development of territorial and economic systems on the basis of their joint implementation of investment, social-economic projects. It is also substantiated the necessity of creating of objective conditions for the increasing of interest of communities in the implementation of economic cooperation, the development of which in the territorial communities of Ukraine is still quite low, The mechanism of stimulating of economic development and cooperation of communities in Ukraine with the use of tools for financial cooperation, by improving the existing system of horizontal equalization of territorial communities capacity, using resources of national regional development funds, European support programs, as well as tax instruments to stimulate cooperation, including such local tax as land tax, the rates of which are to be differentiated depending on the passage of a particular project of inter-territorial economic cooperation payback stage. . Prospects for the study are seen in the further, deeper assessment of the effectiveness of the proposed mechanisms and tools of stimulation of economic cooperation of local communities from the standpoint of expanded interpretation of the concept of sustainable development, with economic, budgetary, social and environmental components.

От конкуренции к конкурентному сотрудничеству: новая парадигма развития территорий

The modern economic space demonstrates, on the one hand, the intensifying competitive struggle of various territorial entities for natural and financial resources, investments and business, for the population, qualified personnel, tourists, etc. On the other hand, the process of formation of competitive cooperation of territories, which does not exclude competition, and complements it, acting as a driving force for the development of the economy of regions and municipalities. The authors in the study assessed the current level and prospects of territorial competition, clarified the goals of competition of regions and municipalities. Consideration of the territory as a subject of competition is explained by the fact that the regions acquire the quality of a mega- enterprise. The potential of cooperation between the territories in the modern competitive economy is revealed. In modern Russia, competitive cooperation between territories is still very rare. A number of features of the evolution of competitive cooperation of territories are revealed: cooperation is specifically limited in time; any cooperation is inherent in risk; its formation and implementation always involve certain financial, intellectual, labor and other costs. The results of expert surveys conducted by the authors in 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016 and in 2019 made it possible to highlight positive and negative results, as well as the consequences of interregional and intermunicipal cooperation in a competitive economy. An assessment of the readiness of territories (regions, municipalities) for cooperation is given. The paper draws attention to the fact that the regions and municipalities of Russia have different economic potentials, differ in the volume and specificity of resources, have features of spatial position, etc., which determines the possibilities for the development of their competitive cooperation. In the process of research, general scientific methods were used, in particular the dialectical method, the unity of the historical and logical, abstractions, analogies, expert surveys, etc. The results of the study can be used in the development and implementation of strategies for the socio-economic development of regions and municipalities in the modern competitive economic space.

Does inter-municipal cooperation help improve local economic performance? – Evidence from Poland

This paper aims at testing whether inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) in policies to promote local business development has a positive impact on local economic performance. We analyze panel data covering 1825 Polish municipalities between 2004 and 2017. We use the unemployment rate, the number of firms per 1000 inhabitants and the rate of population growth as proxies for local economic performance. To control for selection into treatment and the role of time-varying covariates, we apply weighted least squares based on inverse-probability of treatment weights as well as two-way fixed effects models with analogous weights. We do not find IMC to impact the number of firms per 1000 inhabitants or the rate population growth. But IMC is found to reduce local unemployment rates by 0.4 percentage points. Our results suggest that the effect is driven by an improved coordination of municipal policies rather than expenditures funded through the union budget.

Selected Mesoeconomic Indicators of Regional Development in Poland Based on Intermunicipal Cooperation

Selected Mesoeconomic Indicators of Regional Development in Poland Based on Intermunicipal Cooperation

Service quality and the optimum number of members in intermunicipal cooperation: The case of emergency primary care services in Norway

AbstractIntermunicipal cooperation (IMC) is often used as a mean to reap scale benefits. Most studies on the effects of IMC focus on cost savings, while service quality is overlooked. In this study, the focus is set on input quality in a service characterized by high asset specificity and need for redundancy: emergency primary care. We analyze how mode of governance affect performance by (1) measuring whether IMC versus single‐municipal production affects input quality and (2) identifying optimum scale of operation; effect of the number of participants in the cooperation on input quality. The findings indicate that cooperation weakens the input quality of medical workforce, but that this negative effect is balanced out as the number of participants increases, indicating that cooperation needs to reach a certain size to achieve optimum scale of operation. Concerning equipment, both cooperation in general and an increasing number of participants decrease the input quality.

Metropolitan governance and environmental outcomes: does inter-municipal cooperation make a difference?

ABSTRACT Inter-municipal cooperation in metropolitan areas has been previously shown to save costs, but can it also improve environmental outcomes? The existing empirical evidence is largely based on single case studies and does not allow to ascertain the net effect of cooperation. We develop a three-level mixed-effects linear model to conduct a systematic large-n study testing the impact of cooperation in transportation on CO2 transport emissions. We use a novel dataset covering over 200 metropolitan areas in 16 OECD countries. The findings demonstrate that both fragmented and consolidated metropolitan governance structures are equally inefficient in delivering a reduction in CO2 transport emissions. Further, without functional enforcement mechanisms, mitigation policies fail to have a positive effect on environmental outcomes. Inter-municipal cooperation in metropolitan areas facilitates coherence and widespread enforcement and emerges as a crucial factor explaining the reduction of CO2 transport emissions. Effects of metropolitan cooperation on transportation are magnified by the presence of national environmental mitigation policies.

Effect of Anti-COVID-19 Measures on Atmospheric Pollutants Correlated with the Economies of Medium-sized Cities in 10 Urban Areas of Grand Est Region, France

Using Sentinel-5P data, this study investigated the magnitude of change in the concentration of air pollutants (NO2, HCHO, SO2, O3, CO, and aerosol index) in the air of ten cities and urban areas of the French region of Grand Est as a result of the first lockdown imposed between March 17, 2020 and May 11, 2020. The results showed that the air quality in the urban environments of Grand Est improved significantly compared to the same period in 2019 without lockdown. NO2, O3, aerosol index and CO were the pollutants that exhibited maximum reductions by an average of -33.98%, -5.94%, -26.82% and -0.66%, respectively (the observed maximum decreases were -54.7%, -7.7%, -13.1%, and -5.3%, respectively). The largest decrease occurred in the Public Establishments of Inter-municipal Cooperation (EPCI, in French: Établissement public de coopération intercommunale) areas of Eurométropole de Strasbourg, CA Colmar, and CA Mulhouse Alsace. The maximum decrease in air pollution first occurred in land cover classes close to cities, followed by built-up urban areas. In this study, a global depollution index known as the atmospheric clearance index (ACI) was developed, which involved several air pollution parameters, and quantitatively analyzed the decrease in contamination levels of the atmosphere in this region. In addition, the correlation between the novel ACI and other population and economic development indices was studied. The results indicated that there was a negative and statistically significant correlation between ACI and population density, gross domestic product, gross value added (GVA) at basic prices, number of employees, and active enterprises.

Challenges of Agglomerations Development in Russia

World experience shows that in modern conditions urban agglomerations are the most important form of spatial development. This is also evidenced by the experience gained in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. Urban agglomerations are characterized by a large internal market, a high level of human capital, a high-quality urban environment, developed infrastructure, innovative potential, and higher entrepreneurial activity. Despite the fact that the Russian regions have already accumulated sufficient experience in the development of agglomerations, the issues of their formation have not yet been resolved at the federal level. This requires finding the optimal balance in the powers of municipalities and public authorities in their management. In the article, the author examines the key issues related to their institutionalization in Russia on the basis of the experience of a number of foreign countries in line with domestic experience. Being a form of inter-municipal cooperation, urban agglomerations are also the object of state management. The author analyzes the main provisions related to the development of urban agglomerations, which are contained in the Strategy of Spatial Development of the Russian Federation until 2025, as well as the Draft Law developed in the Ministry of Economic Development “On Urban Agglomerations”. It is concluded that the development of urban agglomerations is an integral part of a more general process of developing inter-municipal cooperation.

Features of metropolitan area governance models

The article develops a methodological basis for choosing the optimal model for managing the agglomeration of settlements. The existing agglomeration problems and the need to accelerate growth due to the agglomeration effect form a challenge to the agglomeration governance system. For an adequate response it is important to understand the capabilities of governance models. These capabilities can be expressed through the description of the features of the models.For a large-scale description of the features of models, it is necessary to form groups of features, characterize each feature, compare the models according to the degree of its manifestation, and, if possible, explain the reason for the differences. The article investigates research papers within the framework of the theory of municipal reformers, the theory of public choice, in particular on the issues of centralization / decentralization of municipalities, intermunicipal cooperation, the efficiency of the economy of the public sector. The authors used general scientific methods of analysis, synthesis, grouping, comparison.The revealed features make it possible to assess the governance model in terms of what the agglomeration will receive from its implementation. All features are combined into five groups: economic, social, administrative efficiency, democratization, stability. The study revealed 29 features, presented their explanation and degree of development, depending on the type of governance model.As a result of the study, the possibilities for justifying the feasibility of introducing models have increased. The authors represented scientific novelty by a more complete list of the features of models, a more detailed presentation of them, the approach of presenting information “from features”, a convenient grouping that allows you to use the characteristic to assess the effectiveness of the activities of government authorities. The study can be useful for civil servants in charge of agglomeration processes.

Kooperationen von Klein- und Mittelstädten mit ihrem Umland. Zur Umsetzung der österreichischen Stadtregionspolitik

Theory and practice of city-regional policies are classically oriented towards metropolitan areas. The Austrian Conference on Spatial Planning (ÖROK) in cooperation with the Austrian Städtebund (Austrian Association of Cites), however, took on a pioneering role by involving small- and medium-sized cities in their urban region strategy as early as the early 2010s. In this context, numerous cooperative initiatives between smalland medium-sized towns and their surrounding areas have emerged in Austria over the past decade. Thereby, it gets obvious that these urban-regional cooperation are structured very differently in terms of content and institutional background. This paper is based on a comparative research in four case study areas that established urban-rural cooperation in Austrian small- and medium-sized towns with their surroundings, analysing different governance arrangements implemented in the four case study regions. The cases demonstrate how a discursive approach on the national level becomes a lived practice of equal, inter-municipal cooperation on a city-regional level.

ОЦІНКА ТА АНАЛІЗ БЮДЖЕТНОЇ ДЕЦЕНТРАЛІЗАЦІЇ В УКРАЇНІ

European and world experience testifies that the major element of reform of decentralization in Ukraine is reformation of local selfgovernment, creation of capable territorial communities, that must be able to satisfy the necessities related to the vital functions of habitants of settlements, and also properly to provide realization of their rights. The input of new mechanism of the budgetary adjusting changed the system of total balancing of all local budgets on the horizontal smoothing of taxability of territories depending on the level of receivabless on one habitant. The significant amount of budgetary facilities remains in the complete order of local authorities. Reform of interbudgetary relations stimulates territorial communities more effective to fill the estimates, become self-sufficient and carefully plan the charges. The local government independently decides on which needs spend budgetary funds, which is especially important for the development of united territorial communities. The article examines the essence of budget decentralization, its role and place in the development of united territorial communities. An assessment and analysis of budgetary decentralization in Ukraine has been carried out. The features of the introduction of budgetary decentralization in Ukraine are investigated, the main factors influencing the income and expenditures of local budgets are determined. Implementation of the decentralization reform, which has been ongoing in Ukraine for six years, includes a set of sectoral reforms, in particular, the reform of the administrative-territorial structure and the system of local self-government, and See also fiscal legislation. One of the key objectives of the reform is the voluntary unification of territorial communities and the formation of capable administrative-territorial units of the basic level. Thanks to the introduction of inter-municipal cooperation, the communities were able to consolidate their efforts and to implement common projects. In particular, 1354 territorial communities have signed 604 cooperation agreements. That is, the process of decentralization continues, they believed in it, and the resistance of opponents is being overcome. First, the reform of financial decentralization, local budget revenues show positive dynamics: in 2014 their volume was UAH 80.2 billion, then over six years, own revenues to the general fund of local budgets has increased by UAH 209.9 billion. and represented in 2020 UAH 290.1 billion. Total receipts from the general and special funds for this period increased by UAH 210.2 billion. This is a real instrument of influence on the achievement of results and responsibility for the trust of communities. The basis for the growth of revenues of local budgets was laid thanks to the changes adopted in 2015 to the Budget and Tax Codes of Ukraine regarding the transfer of additional budgetary powers to local governments and the consolidation of stable sources of income for their implementation. Financial decentralization in Ukraine has significantly accelerated the dynamics of investment activity. An important positive result of the reform of interbudgetary relations is the annual increase in investment resources of local budgets. After a sharp decline in investment activity in 2014, the volume of capital investments amounted to UAH 5.9 billion, while in 2020 their volume amounted to UAH 43.6 billion. On the average capital investments from local budgets in Ukraine for the years under study has increased by UAH 33.4 billion, the capital investment growth index was 7.39. Further implementation of the reform of budgetary decentralization and ensuring the effectiveness of the mechanism of budgetary regulation of socio-economic development requires expanding the rights of local authorities, strengthening their budgetary independence and determining their responsibility.

Decentralization Policy in Ukraine: How Voluntary Amalgamation, Inter-Municipal Cooperation and Fiscal Incentives Impacted the Local Government System

Abstract This paper examines the progress of implementing a comprehensive decentralization program in Ukraine. Ukraine was practically the last country of the former Soviet bloc to undertake a comprehensive decentralization program. The decentralization program was based on three pillars: (1) a reliance on voluntary amalgamation of the local government units, (2) the use of inter-municipal cooperation, and (3) enhanced financial incentives. The authors examine how these policies were implemented as well as the impact on local governments service delivery and fiscal capacity. The analyses are based on available data and the application of statistical tests measuring fiscal resources to the population size and other variables of the local government. The study has revealed some significant flaws in Ukrainian decentralization policy implementation. The voluntary approach eventually had to be abandoned for a mandatory approach. The weak progress in inter-municipal cooperation did not establish improved service delivery across a large number of local government units. The financial incentives with greater sharing of taxes did not provide sufficient additional resources to make the units financially sustainable. Finally, the results of the local government elections held in the amalgamated units did not reveal widespread support for the new units and the decentralization reforms. These issues create significant risks for the final success of the decentralization reform.

Local Government Capacity Development: A Case Study of a South African District Municipality

Bojanala Platinum District Municipality (BPDM), in the North West Province is endowed with the extractive economy. The District experiences challenges of capacity development of service delivery structures and programmes. It is in this context that this paper explains how local government responses to challenges of capacity development in the District Municipality. In addition, the paper explores ways in which they can be overcome for enhanced service delivery. The purpose of this study is to examine challenges related to the use of capacity development structures and programmes related to service delivery and explores how to overcome them. The study examines the structures and programmes, facilitators and inhibitors of skills development and performance initiatives within the context of local government capacity development. This study develops a theoretical framing incorporating scholarship on human capital and performance improvement in the context of local government. This framing is premised on the scholarly evidence that capacity development is an enabler of service delivery, influenced by skills development and municipal performance improvement. The research is a single case qualitative case study approach and employs an interpretative paradigm. The paper employs senior managers in the municipalities as the unit of analysis. That study reveals that there are difficulties associated with skills retention and organisational relations. In conclusion, political abandonment, poor communication and stakeholder engagements contribute to weakened inter-municipal co-operation and inadequate use of resources. The interface between learning and skills development contributes to the body knowledge.

Modelling environmental constraints on the efficiency of management forms for public service delivery

This paper presents a new non-parametric methodology in which robust frontiers are used to measure the impact of environmental constraints on efficiency. In this approach, a data panel structure is applied to determine which management forms for the delivery of municipal services – public or private, in cooperation or individual – are best suited to the environment where the services are provided. The study method proposed is then applied to analyse the waste collection service provided in Spanish municipalities during the period 2002–2014. The results obtained show that of the management forms considered inter-municipal cooperation adapts best to heterogeneous environmental conditions.

Does municipal fiscal distress hinder inter-municipal cooperation?

PurposeInter-municipal cooperation (IMC) has been increasingly adopted worldwide to tackle issues of size and cost reduction in the provision of public services. Although the determinants of cooperation among municipalities have been widely investigated in the prior literature, little is known about the link between a municipality's financial health and that of the supra-municipal entity formed under IMC. The purpose of this study is to fill this research gap by analyzing the case of municipal unions (MUs) in Italy.Design/methodology/approachA quantitative approach has been used, applying OLS and quantile regression on financial information and other variables of municipalities and their MUs.FindingsThe study finds that the most important condition of operation for IMC, that is, financial sustainability, is directly linked to the financial health of member municipalities and the functional integration reached with the supra-municipal entity.Originality/valueThe study analyses all MUs in Italy, focusing on the factors affecting their financial sustainability. In doing so, it sheds light on the factors that influence the financial sustainability of second-tier governments, which rely on external funding.

Institutional bases for interaction between agricultural advisory services and almagamated hromadas

The article is devoted to the research of the institutional foundations of interaction between agricultural advisory services and amalgamated hromadas (AH). The goal of the article is to generalize the institutional framework for cooperation between agricultural advisory services and AH. The institutional components of the state regulation of agricultural advisory services are determined. Also the main subjects among Central executive authorities for solving these issues are defined. The results of questionnaire survey to determine of aspects of attitude of the community leadership to the solution of their problem and reciprocity with advisory services are presented. Three groups of AH actual problems have been determined. In the context of realization of institution provisions is substantiated the order of advisory services for solving of these problems. The results of the research of self-government bodies readiness to participate in the financing of the agricultural advisory activity are represented. The order of solving of the priority tasks for formation of the agricultural advisory system in rural hromadas is grounded. The priority tasks are include: 1) establishment of system communications between advisory services and AH; 2) preparation of mechanisms (models) for involving of local communities in agricultural advisory activity. Rural communities can count on different types of state support on the base of cooperation with agricultural advisory. It seems expedient for the Ministry for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine to initiate the elaboration of mechanisms for state stimulation of community cooperation in the advisory sphere. The priority measures for convergence of the system of agricultural advisory and AH have been identified. It connect with coordination of activity for information exchange between executive authorities, self-government communities and subjects of agricultural advisory. This is an objective necessity and will permit to obtain a synergistic effect: increasing the ability of rural amalgamated hromadas to solve their own problems independently, improving the living standards of the rural population. An extremely relevant topic is launching of pilot projects for the development of advisory services in AH, including the use of mechanisms of inter-municipal cooperation. International technical assistance projects should be more actively involved in this work. Prospects for further research are conclude in elaboration of the specific mechanisms of cooperation between the subjects of advisory services with the AH leadership in solving of existing problems.

Organizing municipal audit: contracting out and audit costs in Norway

PurposeThis paper analyses the deregulation of the municipal audit market in Norway, in particular how organization of the service affected audit costs.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses multiple regression analysis of administrative as well as survey data of organizational structure and audit costs from 312 municipalities in Norway in 2012.FindingsThe introduction of contracting out in the municipal audit market in Norway in 2004 contributed to a reduction in audit fees eight years after the deregulation, compared to the situation four years before the deregulation. The type of audit, mixing inter-municipal co-operation and contracting private auditors, was related to lower costs.Research limitations/implicationsThe data does not include audit quality and are restricted to one country.Practical implicationsThe municipalities that combined inter-municipal co-operation and contracting a private auditor achieved the lowest costs. Hence, neither pure in-house production (“make”) nor outsourcing (“buy”) but mixing several governance forms (hybrid organization) was related to low costs.Social implicationsContracting out is a core element of new public management (NPM) but has often been a contested tool in public policy. This paper provides empirical evidence on the effects of a reform of a professional service, which is relevant for many services in the public sector.Originality/valueThis paper contributes by filling some of the gaps in the public sector accounting and public management reform literature by studying the organization and costs of the municipal audit, specifically by including transaction costs, addressing plural governance forms in addition to pure in-house production, inter-organizational co-operation and market contracting and by studying long-term effects.