Local Government Autonomy Research Articles

Harmonizing the complexities of financial development and fiscal decentralization in highly populated nations for monitoring environmental quality

The increasing challenges posed by global warming underscore the need to examine the contributing factors comprehensively. This study explores the complex interaction that enhances the financial autonomy of local governments (fiscal decentralization), the evolution of financial development, and the dynamics of the environment in China, India, and Pakistan, which are known as highly populated economies. This search fills a vacuum in the research literature by using financial development and fiscal decentralization together to measure the complex interaction by using the broad dataset that spans the years 1979–2019. It significantly advances scientific knowledge by highlighting the frequently disregarded triangle formed by fiscal decentralization, financial development, and environmental quality in emerging nations. Moreover, the study seeks to elucidate how fiscal decentralization affects financial growth and, in turn, the environment. The review acknowledges the possibility of varying results among nations. Strict econometric techniques that consider slope heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence are used to guarantee the reliability of studies and conclusions. The results show that government money and GDP per capita have beneficial short-term effects on environmental quality. Simultaneously, financial growth positively and negatively impacts several factors, underscoring the complex dynamics at work in these crucial areas. Anticipated outcomes might provide a significant understanding of the fundamental factors influencing environmental quality in developing nations. This research is well-positioned to support the development of evidence-based policies by advising scholars and decision-makers on creating successful climate change mitigation plans.

How fiscally autonomous are local governments? An empirical test

How freely can local jurisdictions change their taxes and spending? I propose an empirical test of the effective degree of municipal fiscal autonomy by studying fiscal adjustments to a permanent exogenous revenue shift. Based on a tax competition model where jurisdictions are partially expenditure constrained, I derive a testable prediction: tax cuts from a small positive revenue shock will be larger (smaller) with higher perceived tax base mobility, if the local policymaker is strongly (weakly) fiscally constrained. I apply this test using a revenue shock generated by a reform in an inter-municipal transfer system within a Swiss canton. tax base mobility is proxied by the availability of zoned land reserves. I find that higher residential land availability is associated with stronger tax rate responses, but I find no statistically significant results for industrial land reserves. In light of the theory, this suggests that the effective degree of fiscal autonomy of local jurisdictions is low. Usual indicators of fiscal decentralization based on public accounts might overestimate the actual autonomy of local governments.

Citizen satisfaction with arm's length bodies in local government: expert insights on policy and practice

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to investigate the application of citizen satisfaction (CS) as a tool for measuring performance by arm's length bodies (ALBs) in local governments across eleven countries, addressing central questions about its functionality and influencing factors.Design/methodology/approachWe employ a hybrid inductive-deductive explorative study design, characterized by an iterative interpretative approach guided by sensitizing concepts. Expert interviews are analyzed through template analysis and cover eleven countries where ALBs are present due to decentralization and outsourcing.FindingsOur study uncovers limited real-world applications of CS in evaluating public service delivery by ALBs. Expert interviews reveal insights into factors potentially influencing CS use, such as the level of autonomy of local governments, state traditions and austerity measures. A research agenda is formulated for further investigation.Originality/valueContributing to the CS debate, our study focuses on its application in evaluating public service delivery by ALBs. The explorative design, expert opinions and theoretical foundations enhance understanding, offering insights into factors potentially shaping CS use in this context. The study proposes a research agenda, propelling further investigations into this underexplored, yet emerging, area.

Ensuring the functioning of society in activities of local governments under the legal regime of martial law

The scientific article is devoted to the study of the activities of local self-government bodies during the period of martial law in ensuring the functioning of society, characterization of the concept, competence and features of local self-government bodies, and types of local selfgovernment bodies. The article examines the scientific and regulatory approaches to defining the most important functions of local authorities, in particular, ensuring the constitutional rights and security of citizens. Local self-government during the period of martial law faces many challenges on a daily basis. That is why this topic is extremely relevant and requires scientific substantiation and research. The decentralization reform has laid the foundation for the activities of competent local governments. However, the unjustified military aggression has changed the usual rhythm of work of regional and district councils, as well as local authorities. The peculiarity of this legal regime is the creation of temporary state bodies, including military authorities. They operate in parallel with autonomous local governments. However, there are cases when the military administration can assume the powers of local self-government bodies if the local council does not meet on time. Local self-government in Ukraine is a right guaranteed and enforced by the state and a territorial community – a voluntary association of residents of a village, villages or several villages, cities – to address local issues within the limits determined by the current legislation, may be formed independently or subordinated to officials and self-government bodies. Local self-government is designed to strengthen the foundations of the constitutional order of Ukraine, ensure the implementation of constitutional principles, human and civil rights, create conditions for meeting the vital needs and legitimate interests of citizens, and develop local democracy. During the legal regime of martial law, military authorities exercise the powers of local state authorities and part of local self-government bodies, as defined by the current legislation. Therefore, the role of local state authorities and local self-government bodies in ensuring the quality functioning of society is very important.

Organisational Dynamics and Local Government Autonomy in Nigeria. An Interrogation

This research paper attempt to investigate the critical relationship between the interplay of organizational dynamics and perceptions of local government autonomy in Nigeria political system. A comprehensive analysis of grade level distribution, departmental structure, and length of service among respondents forms the fulcrum of this study. The study unveils the diverse tapestry of influences shaping attitudes towards local government autonomy in Kogi State, Nigeria. Key findings highlight the pivotal role of mid-level professionals (grade levels 11 to 13), the varied priorities across departments, and the dynamic evolution of perceptions over time. Informed by these insights, our recommendations emphasized tailored strategies, leadership empowerment, and continuous engagement to foster an organizational environment that values and champions local government autonomy in Nigeria. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the organizational intricacies influencing local governance and offers practical insights for policymakers and administrators seeking to enhance local government autonomy in Nigeria political systems.

Local government resilience in the face of Russian aggression: the case of Ukraine

Local government resilience in the face of Russian aggression: the case of Ukraine

Corporate privileges and the formation of Cabildos in the rise of two New Granada Villas: Guasimal de Cúcuta and San José de la Marinilla, 1790-1795

Abstract. Objective/context: In the context of the installation of cabildos in the viceroyalty of the New Kingdom of Granada, this article studies the transition of two towns inhabited by «free people» to the status of villas: the parroquia of Guasimal de Cúcuta and the sitio of San José de La Marinilla. This process shows how the fact that the Catholic monarchy gave the jurisdictional quality of villa to specific towns fostered a virtuous circle in which various local and metropolitan agencies became intertwined and promoted a policy of negotiated integration, which ceded autonomy in local government. Methodology: Based on primary documentary sources detailing the establishment and functioning of chapter governments, we analyze the process of administrative cession in jurisdictional terms and, in general, the establishment of provincial governments in towns in the viceroyalty of the New Kingdom of Granada. Originality: The examination of the documentation allows us to reveal the materialization of a historical process of generalized integration in Hispanic America, induced by the ministers of Charles III, which gave jurisdictional qualities to mestizo population groups, seeking to benefit the royal rents of the economic growth that these populations were experiencing and to determine the new municipal political architecture in the time of the Bourbons. Conclusions: In the cases analyzed, we can see how, in search of administrative rationality, the crown negotiated the granting of autonomy to parroquias and towns of «free people» as a policy of integration that should strengthen centralization and increase productivity to achieve income and economic growth. It can also be seen how the patricians were diligent in giving institutionality to the new republics, guided by royal regulations that even embraced strengthening the branches of propios y arbitrios (such as health and coercion, among others).

일생활균형정책과 지방분권화에 따른 출산율의 변화: OECD 회원국을 중심으로

In Korea's Basic Plan for a Low Fertility and Aging Society, the work-life balance policy aims to create a society that works together and takes care of each other, and seeks to promote regional coexistence due to demographic changes. To this end, this study aims to empirically examine the relationship between the characteristics of work-life balance policies and fertility rates in OECD member countries according to the degree of fiscal decentralization. Based on data provided by the OECD and the International Network on Leave Policy and Research, we find that maternity and parental leave are significantly associated with fertility. Maternity leave duration is positively related to fertility, while women's parental leave, both unpaid and paid, is negatively related to fertility. The relationship between decentralization and fertility shows that the more fiscal autonomy local governments have, the higher the fertility rate. Based on the results of the regression analysis, it is necessary to implement policies in the direction of promoting autonomy in the combination of parental leave duration and salary level through the autonomy and discretion of local governments, and strengthening the duration of maternity leave and economic support. This study examines the characteristics and basic elements of leave policies (maternity leave and parental leave), which are key work-life balance policies, and how the degree of decentralization affects fertility rates in 35 OECD countries, with the ultimate goal of improving the quality of life of not only parents but also infants and young children.

Policy Feedback Loop: Central-Local Interactions in China’s International Economic Policy

ABSTRACT The authors propose the use of an interactive model to explain the way the central government and the local governments carry out the formulation and implementation of China’s foreign economic policies. Case studies on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the China-Europe Railway Express (CERE) show a policy feedback loop between the central government and the local governments. While the local governments make adjustments to comply with the central government’s directive, their policies and measures also have a significant impact on the central government’s foreign policies. The findings suggest that neither the autonomy of local governments nor the authority of the central government in foreign economic affairs are eroded under Xi’s leadership despite notable recentralisation in the past decade. Instead, both the central government and local governments engage in a continuous, interactive partnership to formulate and execute China’s foreign economic policy.

Government Capacity: Evidence from Nepal

Autonomous local governments are essential for maintaining stable economic and social development mechanisms and democratic regimes. The prime objective of the article is to examine the impact of pressure-capacity variables on local governance. Two sources of data, such as NPHC 2021 and LISA are used. Overall local government of Nepal has still weak performance as only 38 percent of total municipals have secured good ranking status. Based on PCP framework, total score of 10 composite indicators generated by LISA and some population management related characteristics (e.g., sex ratio, population density, literacy, household size, and two food coping strategy related variables) have been examined using multiple regression to understand interrelationship response and explanatory variables. The statistical analysis shows that there is a string relationship between pressure and capacity variables. Individually, three population related variables such as sex ratio, literacy and household size are positively correlated with total score of 10 indicators with low coefficient of determination. In addition to strengthening existing gender status, educational level and population growth, more socioeconomic and environment related variables as explanatory variables are necessary to link government capacity and its performance in Nepal.

지역축제 방문객의 축제프로그램 평가

Since 1995, when autonomous local government era started, an endeavour to vitalize local economy through hosting a local festival became a typical phennominon among local governments in Korea. However, non distinctive festivals mimicking one another did not earn the support from the local residents and ruined the effort of local governments and communities. Therefore a local government’s effort to remove overlapping investments and produce a meaningful result through festivals are sought throughout the local governments in Korea. It is the aim of this study to suggest an effective ways and solutions for an ideal festival through analyzing the evaluation from the festival visitors to the 2023 Sungju Melon·Life·Culture Festival.

Improving Health through Sustainable and Healthy Urban Food System Policy in Nigeria

Diet-related diseases and mortalities are assuming epidemic proportions globally. It is more worrisome in the Global South, especially in Africa, where the healthcare system is not resilient to the public health burden. There is a growing effort around the world to foster urban food system policies that would checkmate the failing health of the public and ensure improved quality of life. However, these efforts seem non-existent in many African regions. Therefore, there is a need for heightened efforts in these areas to address the food system and ensure a global healthy society. This study identified Nnewi, Nigeria, in sub-Saharan Africa, a typical urban area in Nigeria, and analyzed the public health challenges attributed to the non-existent food system policy and poor nutritional practices. The Milan Urban Food Policy Pact model, which has been successfully implemented in many cities, was adopted to propose a sustainable food system policy for Nnewi. Key policies proposed include autonomous local government power, government-assisted programs, clean and sustainable amenities, agricultural reforms, nutrition education, and reductions in food wastage to achieve a circular economy. An evaluation tool for implementing the food system policy was also developed. Overall, implementing the food system policies proposed herein would improve the quality of life of Nnewi residents. Other urban areas could also adopt similar food system policies to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of a healthy and resilient global society.

The Transformation of the Financial Autonomy of Local Governments

Ensuring a broad degree of financial autonomy is a fundamental issue for local government. In the context of the administrative modernization of recent years, several legislative measures have been taken which have directly or indirectly limited the financial and economic autonomy of local governments in Hungary. The paper gives a brief overview of the development of the Hungarian local government system in 1990, comparing the initial regulation with the standards of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. It discusses, then, the restructuring of the system in 2011, and lists the legal institutions which, in the author’s view, have led to restrictions on local government management. The paper covers the introduction of the task-financing system, the establishment of district offices, the restructuring of the role of county governments, and the constitutional and other legal obstacles to municipal borrowing.

Local government autonomy in Nasarawa Sate: Panacea for grassroots development

Local government autonomy in Nasarawa Sate: Panacea for grassroots development

Local government autonomy and self-governance – the Polish perspective

The article analyses the state of local governance in Poland by illustrating the degree of decentralisation and financial autonomy on the level of communes. To that end, the article approaches the notions of subsidiarity, decentralisation and sub-national governments’ autonomy, outlines the relations between them, and provides an illustration and discussion of these concepts using data on revenues of communes and urban districts in Poland between 1995 and 2020. The analysis was conducted for territorial units divided into five size categories. The results indicate that the decentralisation of public finance, measured by the ratio of sub-national government expenditure to central government expenditure and sub-national government expenditure to GDP, is growing. However, the degree of autonomy of communes is decreasing. Therefore, the question arises of whether it is not a straight path from self-governance derived from the concept of decentralised state to government administration taken from the concept of a deconcentrated state. The ongoing re-centralisation removes the local authorities’ capacity to manage local affairs, turning them into mere administrators and – in part – spectators, bystanders to these processes, and as such is of significance for the management of local development. The analysis of the degree of local government’s autonomy and self-governance offers a historical perspective (1991-2020), carried out for five size categories of communes and offers the capacity of being extended to other levels of sub-national governments in Poland, and also to sub-national governments in other countries.

Local Government Autonomy as a Response to Migration – Examining Foreign Resident Policy of Daejeon Metropolitan City

Local Government Autonomy as a Response to Migration – Examining Foreign Resident Policy of Daejeon Metropolitan City

북한 시멘트시장의 형성·발달요인에 관한 연구

Based on in-depth interviews, official data from North Korea, and domestic research data, this study analyzed the creation and prospects of the North Korean building material market after the economic crisis in the 1990s as a cement market. The results are as follows. First, in the 1990s, the cement market was formed spontaneously due to the planned economic collapse, but the scope was limited to rural areas. The reason was a serious food shortage. Second, in the 2000s, the cement market expanded due to institutional factors such as rising resident income, 7.1 economic management improvement measures, and comprehensive market policies. The expansion factor of the cement market triggered the marketization of state-owned factories, revitalizing the distribution of products between plans and markets, and promoting the development of the market. Third, market reform policy changes in the 2010s supported the quantitative and qualitative development of the cement market by giving momentum to the autonomy of local governments and state-owned enterprises. If sanctions against North Korea and COVID-19 prolong North Korea’s economic difficulties, North Korea’s economic policy will focus on strengthening its economic endurance by mobilizing internal resources, which will lead to expansion of construction due to domestic resources, which is expected to grow effectively. Cement production supports this fact that the manufacturing process is not complicated, and coal and limestone, which are abundant in North Korea, are the main raw materials. This suggests that the cement market can serve as a growth engine for the local economy and companies while leading the construction of real estate in North Korea in the future.

Changes in the Revenue Autonomy of the Local Government Subsector of the European Union Countries as a Result of the Pandemic Crisis

Theoretical background: Intergovernmental relations are a key area of research on fiscal federalism. The extent and strength of central government’s influence on local governments determines the degree of autonomy of local authorities. The prevailing view in the literature is that a higher degree of local government autonomy is a factor that stimulates economic growth, fiscal stability, and efficient delivery of public goods. At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic period forced the need for coordination between central government and subnational authorities. Under such conditions, significant changes occurred in the size and structure of local government budgets, which were the result of greater interconnection of local government finances with transfers from central government. These changes meant pressure to reduce the revenue autonomy of local governments. In view of this, the article formulates a research hypothesis that the degree of revenue autonomy of local governments decreased during the pandemic period. Purpose of the article: The purpose of the article is to determine the direction and strength of changes in the level of local government subsector revenue autonomy in European Union countries. Research methods: The research used data for 2012–2022 from the Government Finance Statistics Database published by Eurostat. The values of three indicators for European Union countries determining the degree of revenue autonomy of local governments were compared: 1) the share of local governments’ transfer revenues in their total revenues; 2) the share of local governments’ own (non-transfer) revenues in general government sector revenues; 3) the share of local tax revenues in total taxation. In addition, the statistical significance of the differences in the studied indicators between the individual years of the study period was tested using a paired sample t-test (for the first indicator) and a non-parametric Wilcoxon signed rank test (of the other two indicators). Main findings: It was shown that the COVID-19 pandemic period was only to some extent a factor in changing the revenue structure of the local government. The biggest influence on the changes in this structure came from transfers received from the central government, the importance of which did increase in the years preceding the pandemic period, but the increase from year to year was small and statistically insignificant. Indeed, it was only the pandemic crisis that caused significant statistical changes in this regard. In the case of the ratio of the share of local own revenue in general government revenue, it turned out that only to a small extent was the pandemic crisis the source of the reduction in the role of local revenue in the general government sector. No significant changes in the role of local government taxes in the tax revenues of the sector as a whole were also seen. For this indicator, there was no evidence of statistically significant differences in the values of this indicator during the COVID-19 pandemic period relative to the pandemic period. Similarities were also found in the direction of change of the first two indicators relative to the average for European Union states.

Local Government Autonomy in Nigeria: Implications for Quality Service Delivery at the Grassroots LevelLocal Government Autonomy in Nigeria: Implications for Quality Service Delivery at the Grassroots Level

Local government (LG) is the third tier of government that is domesticated at the grassroots level outside the State and Federal governments. LGs are established to ensure effective governance at the local level. Nigeria adopted federal system that envisages autonomy for every level of government. Contrarily, there has been the issue of LG inability to ensure the provision of quality infrastructural and developmental projects, its inability to initiate, implement and execute projects at the localities according to constitutional provisions. All these are attributed to the state government dominance of the affairs of LGs. As such, this paper intends to x-ray the implications of local government autonomy to quality service delivery on the grassroots populace, especially in the areas of political, administrative and fiscal autonomy. We considered Systems theory as apt for this paper. Methodologically, qualitative approach was used. Extant literatures were conceptually and empirically reviewed. Conclusively, we observed significant low service delivery hugely linked to lack of LGs autonomy. To this extent we recommend that LGs should be granted autonomy in order to enhance effectiveness, efficiency and quality service delivery to the people at the grassroots.

Financial autonomy in Spanish local governments: Empirical evidence of beta and sigma convergence

Territorially, Spanish public administrations are organized into State Administration, Autonomous Community Administration, and Local Administration. Local government has the closest contact with citizens and therefore the powers and decisions taken by local institutions have the greatest impact on the social welfare of citizens. To ensure this well-being, it is necessary to analyze and pay attention to the administrative and financial autonomy of local governments. Financial autonomy translates into the capacity of local entities to govern their respective finances, determining, within certain limits, the level of the volume of their own resources and organizing their expenditures. In this work, we study the Financial Autonomy Indicator, which aims to determine the tax resources available to the local entity. Taking into account that Spanish municipalities have, depending on their population size, different obligations when providing services to citizens, the convergence of financial autonomy is studied to detect whether there are common trends by applying the techniques of β-convergence and σ-convergence. It is analyzed whether municipalities starting from lower indicators achieve higher growth over time ( β-convergence), and whether dispersion between municipalities is reduced ( σ-convergence). Points for practitioners Local autonomy grants local entities the freedom to manage their own interests within the State's legal framework. Greater economic diversity and the ability to raise more money on their own through taxes, fees, and other sources characterize larger communities. They have a wider tax base thanks to their higher economic diversification, which opens up more opportunities for revenue collection. The speed of convergence is highest in the smallest municipalities. Knowing whether there is convergence or divergence in financial autonomy can help policy makers.