Modern Local Government Research Articles

Metropolization Process in the Polish and French Local Governments

The article is aimed at presenting the stages of the metropolization process in both the Polish and French local governments, in order to establish the projected vectors of change, notably within the scope of Polish metropolitan solutions. In both legal orders, as many as three stages of the metropolization process can be distinguished in the legal context: the preparatory stage, the stage comprising the universal pattern and the third – presenting the current pattern of metropolitan institutions. The analysis of the metropolization stages unambiguously indicates the incomplete metropolization institutionalization process in both legal orders, comprising the search for the proper legal form for metropolitan areas, in order for these structures to effectively perform tasks of a supra-local nature. In both cases, the evaluation of the metropolization process constitutes an important element of the discussion on the vectors of change as regards the position of the metropolis in the modern local government. The article features both the dogmatic-legal and legal-comparative methods.

Cossacks as a historical basis of modern local government

Cossacks as a historical basis of modern local government

The nexus between the traditional system of governance and the local government system in Karamoja, Uganda

In the 1990s several countries in Africa adopted decentralisation policy reforms that coincided with a renewed interest in traditional institutions. This development has since sparked an intense debate on the compatibility of traditional systems of governance with decentralisation. The present article documents a case study conducted in Uganda’s Karamoja sub-region, a stronghold of traditionalism despite local government reforms. It concludes that although the traditional system of governance could help to link local communities with the modern local government system, the two structures have not been harmonised. Instead, they run on parallel and contradictory paths, which has had negative consequences for local governance and service delivery. The paper advocates blending the two to form a hybrid system in which they complement each other rather than being a source of conflict.

Processes of Modernization of Local Government in Uzbekistan

The article discusses the process of modernization of local self-government in Uzbekistan during the years of independence. In this regard, the author draws a number of conclusions in the direction of attracting innovations to the industry.

Reflecting the Ancient Administrative Tendencies of the Oyo Kingdom in Modern Local Government System

Globally, the debate on the adaptability of traditional institutions into local governance is ongoing. A school of thought believes that traditional institutions foster local government administration especially in mobilizing grassroots support through its traditional strategies. Another school characterized administrative practices of traditional institutions as anachronistic and undemocratic. While synergy among these views is desirable, this study investigates the extent to which tendencies of traditional institutions are reflected in the modernised local government administration. Respondents were selected from Atiba Local Government Council, the Community Leaders, and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters in Oyo State with a total population (304) and sample size (152). Primary and secondary sources were employed for data collection. The study revealed traditional institutions partake in security administration (80.6%) and information management (84.4%) but not so active in project monitoring (93.3%), on overall the study reported that roles allotted traditional institutions were not statistically significant, c2 (6, 670)=0.414, p > 0.05. The study further established that effects of the traditional institution are more prominent in; effective two-way communication between the grassroots and local government (89.5%), promotion of peace and order (93.3%) but less prominent in collaborative governance (91.1%), it was revealed that effect of traditional institutions on local governance is not statistically significant, c2 (6, 670)=0.007, p > 0.05. For the tendencies of traditional institutions to be harmoniously reflected in the local government administration, institutional and constitutional reforms are hereby recommended.

Service Accountability and Social Well-Being of the Rural Community in Local Government Institutions in Sri Lanka—Special Reference to Selected Pradeshiya Saba

The main purpose of this paper is to explore, existing nature of the local government sector with regard service delivering and social wellbeing of the grass root community who live in country side. Local government institutions are key stone of the social and economic development of the given country. Sri Lanka has a long historical evaluation process regarding local government institutions. As a modern local government institution that Pradeshiya Saba was established in 1987 at the grass root level with regard rapid acceleration of the social and economic development of the rural community, it has given enough power, authority and privileges with regard decision making regarding social and economic development of the grass root people. Yet, after thirty years period, there is not shown sufficient improvement of the social and economic life of the people who are living in Pradeshiya Saba which is located countryside. This trend has to be investigated through applying suitable methodology including suitable techniques. Specially, reasons for existing nature of Pradeshiya Saba should be examined by investigation of the performance of the role of local authorities. Therefore, qualitative approach such as questioners and field interviewers and discussions has been used for the gathering information’s in this regard. There are eight Pradeshiya Saba institutions which have been selected for the carried-out field activities in this research. Final output of the research has been indicating that weak performance of the existing Pradeshiya Saba on their service delivering has been crucially impacted on social and economic wellbeing of the grass root people. Inefficiency and weak attitudes and commitment of the elective people and officers of the Pradeshiya Saba have been negatively impact on performances of the Pradeshiya Sabah in peripherals society. Final output of this research is significant regarding readjustment of performance of the elective members and officials and implementations mechanism with regard role and activities of the existing local government institutions. Also, final result of this research has been opened a new path for initiate research activities for the researchers who have desire to start research in same area.

Modern local government – a new content of activity within the territory of the community

A number of public reforms have been underway in Ukraine for the third year, and administrative reform is of particular importance for a new level of state development, which aims to change the status of local authorities, accountability and content of their social work. Attempts to initiate public authority reform have been made several times, but political will has not been sufficient, the changes have been superficial: signboards replacement and re-subordination. As a rule, such actions did not change the old authoritarian system of government, the system and content of activity in government structures, and accordingly it changed only external factors, which as a result aggravated the situation in the regions, deepened the excessive centralization of territorial governance, violating European principles of self-government and budgeting. Gradually, we came to the state and tendencies that in the process of activity became a burden for state development, removal of local authorities from influencing real situation within the territory and the lack of strategy for its development.
 Local authorities, as usual, expected financial subventions from the central government to solve particular territorial problems (roads, social facilities, community improvement, etc.), local authorities were discouraged from solving territorial problems and deepened destructive processes (corruption, abuse in the financial sphere, deepening the processes of complication of social status of territories, etc.) It could not last long, substantial and profound changes in territorial management, redistribution of powers, financial resources and spheres of responsibility for the real situation should have been implemented. Responsibility and resources (material, financial) were transferred from the center to the local government level. The powers of the deputy and the chairman of the local community are now filled with specifics and responsibility for solving problems of social development within the territory.
 Democratization of the processes of public authorities activity from the center to the region outlined legal and practical problems regarding the competence and content of officials: the ability to communicate on certain aspects of community activity; analytical skills and practices; involving citizens in the process of preparing public decisions within the territory; strategies of activity and preparation of community work plans. The vision of the problems of the territory and the strategy of solving them becomes the key to changing the life practices of the community.

Political Leaders’ Experiences of Local Council, Board and Committee Work and Its Challenges in Finland

The relationship between political leaders and public administrators is a layered and multi-dimensional phenomenon influenced by both organizational characteristics and personal qualities and skills. Continuous reforms of local government structures lead to changes in the interaction between these key actors. The purpose of this article is to investigate if different interaction patterns of political leaders influence how they perceive their duties as political leaders. The empirical data was collected by a questionnaire from political leaders in six local government organizations in Finland. The political leaders were then grouped into three using factor analysis and k-means clustering according to their interaction styles in their positions in the strategic level decision-making. The further analysis utilized contingency tables. The results suggest that the three groups among the political leaders think and act in different ways. The differences are not based on political opinions, but on attitudes towards the decision-making process and the political leaders’ modus operandi. There are also differences what the political leaders find most difficult in their duties. These groups form one more layer in modern local government decision-making. Recognizing the different patterns of interaction may help us to better understand the dynamics of strategic management in the local government.

Local government modernization in Albania

PurposeAn attempt will be made to shed light on the course and pattern of the decentralization process by analyzing the historical development of local government and the territorial-administrative reform of 2015-2020 in Albania and the factors that have been shaping it. The scope is to understand the impact of the reform elements on the subnational governments and in general their overall impact on the government. The purpose of this paper is to fill the gap in the existing literature for Albania and at offering some insights on the administrative-territorial reform. Furthermore, it will contribute to the current debate on fiscal decentralization in South Eastern European (SEE) countries and the public management model implemented after the last reforms.Design/methodology/approachThe first section analyzes the historical development of local government reforms from the 1990s to today and will help to identify if there is instrumentalism advocacy. The second section explains the determinants of the local government’s fiscal autonomy in Albania of the period from 2003 to 2016. Three indicators are used as proxies for fiscal decentralization: the proportion of subnational expenditure over national expenditure, of total subnational revenues over total revenues of central government and the indicator of own subnational revenues over total revenues of the central government. The data from the budget and the revised budgets are then compared.FindingsDespite Albania’s commitment to decentralize its government functions, there is still work to do. The territorial and administrative reform has not generated the expected results. Almost 90 percent of the revenues still come from the central government’s unconditional transfers. Therefore, the Albanian Government should build capacities and skills, and train the employees of each level of government that currently benefit from international assistance.Research limitations/implicationsThe analysis represents a single case study on the territorial-administrative reform in Albania. Its implementation started in 2015 and it is probably too early to discuss outcomes. However, it might be useful to analyze the first results after a two-and-a-half-year period of implementation of reforms. Despite contributing to the existing gap in the literature, additional research will be necessary to better understand the decentralization process not only in Albania, but in all SEE countries.Practical implicationsIt is necessary to first understand the lack of initial output, as well as the various challenges faced, in order to take the corrective measures on time.Originality/valueThis paper discusses in detail the reform adopted and the progress made by the Albanian local government units. The reform attempts to develop better relationships between the central and local governments and hence improve their service delivery, transparency and accountability. This paper is the first one that is attempting to analyze the initial output of the territorial-administrative reform of 2015-2020.

Problem „tego co polityczne” a tożsamość badawcza politologii

Dyscypliny naukowe różnią się od siebie pod wieloma względami, przede wszystkim różnicują je zasadnicze problemy i odrębne metody badawcze. Nauka o polityce jako dyscyplina jest definiowana głównymi problemami badawczymi, przez utrwalanie „polityki” we wszystkich niezliczonych formach. Polityka przyjmuje wiele form i obejmuje wiele poziomów społecznych, począwszy od klanów i plemion tradycyjnych społeczeństw, przez nowoczesny samorząd, firmy i instytucje, aż do suwerennych państw i poziomu międzynarodowego. Autor niniejszego artykułu stwierdził, że zdefiniowanie polityki jest najważniejszym krokiem w procesie budowania teorii politycznej. Jego zdaniem powinniśmy definiować politykę jako instytucje społeczne; jako kompleks pozycji, ról, norm i wartości ulokowanych w poszczególnych rodzajach struktur społecznych i organizacji stosunkowo stabilnych wzorców aktywności ludzkiej w odniesieniu do podstawowych problemów w produkcji środków podtrzymujących życie, w reprodukcji osobników i utrzymywaniu struktur społecznych w danym środowisku. Polityka to instytucje społeczne, które rozdzielają władzę, wyznaczają cele społeczeństwa i podejmują decyzje. Autor stwierdził, że najbardziej skutecznym sposobem zrozumienia, czym jest polityka, jest definiowanie jej jako podstawowych instytucji społecznych.

Nowa ustawa o ubogich 1834 roku jako podstawa nowoczesnego systemu samorządu lokalnego w Wielkiej Brytanii

The paper is devoted to considerations on the new Poor Law 1834 as the basis of the modern local government system in Great Britain. On the basis of the analysis of the reasons for the adoption of the Law it is determined, in particular, that the beginning of reforms in local governance should be sought in the 1832 electoral reform. The main innovations of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834, and especially their implementation in practice, are identified. The process of the reform of guardianship over the poor in 1834 is considered, and it is claimed that these measures were not aimed at abolishing the existing system; on the contrary, they developed and perfected it. The changes brought about by the reform had ripened for a long time, as evidenced by the adoption in the late 18th and early 19th centuries of recommendatory legislative acts which contained individual measures later improved and consolidated in the single Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. The author claims that this law laid the foundation of the modern system of local government in Great Britain and the institutions based on it evolved into other institutions, either expanding the scope of their influence and functions, or transferring certain functions to other institutions.

A Critique of 1976 Local Government Reforms: Its History, Structure And Impact After Forty Years In operation In Nigeria

Local Government as a political subdivision/unit is closest to the people and intracts with the locals in diverse ways that impacts citizens to feel they have government who listens and does its biddings; The absence of which leaves majority of locals with impression that there in no government or at least, it had not worked to improve the lots of its people. The aim of this study was to give a critique of the 1976 Local Government reforms: its history and structure after forty years in operation in Nigeria and to see lessons learnt if any. The study which is historical and qualitative in nature involved the use of content analysis of secondary data such as books, journal articles, case law, published and unpublished materials/reports and internet sources related to the study. Based on the analysis, it was discovered that the 1976 Local Government reforms did not satisfy a large segment of the Nigerian society. Local Governments have not been able to extricate themselves from the apron string of state and federal governments in Nigeria. The structure of power that ensures' unitaryfederal system and political value of the political elite as shown in State and Federal governments interventions in the affairs of Local Government have gone a long way in diluting the innovations brought about by the entrenchment of Local Government as a tier of government. Finally, the study concluded that the defects which warranted the 1976 reform and restructuring of Local Government were sufficient but noted sadly that they are far from being resolved although the revolutionary approach to the structure, functions, powers and staffing in the Local Government Councils laid the foundation of modern local government administration in Nigeria

Being Strategic in Partnership – Interpreting Local Knowledge of Modern Local Government

Broad and international literature exists on networked governance which has both described and informed recent transformations in local government. Reforms in the UK have led to the development of strategic partnerships to join up services and solve wicked issues. In Scotland, these are referred to as Community Planning Partnerships. Evidence from numerous studies has highlighted the partial nature of this transformation, particularly around community engagement, with some of the pioneers of this work now questioning earlier assumptions. This article presents an interpretive policy analysis of strategic partnership in Scotland to add three themes to this literature. First, to demonstrate the historical contingency of ‘joined-up government’; second, to explore the practices and meanings used by policy actors to understand ‘strategic’ and ‘partnerships’. Finally, the article problematises strategic partnership working, suggesting that in and of itself it creates effective barriers to community empowerment and even engagement.

Los tribunales económico-administrativos y la disminución de la litigiosidad judicial

The paper begins by mentioning the need to review the institutional goal of the municipal tax appeal boards, known by their Spanish acronym of TEAMs, of reducing administrative litigation which was introduced in the local government modernisation measures act, Law 57/2003 of 16th December 2003. It then goes on to discuss the advisability of framing the redefinition of this institutional goal conferred upon the TEAMs within the wider context of strategic planning to modernise the justice system. It ends with three proposals for the development of the tax appeal boards in the coming decade: 1) extending the TEAM formula to municipalities which are not classified as large towns; 2) reforming the existing system of ordinary administrative appeals by applying the model of a specific administrative body of a technical nature free from the hierarchical principle represented by the TEAMs, at state, regional and municipal level; and 3) for the existing TEAMs to extend the range of their functions so that, within the municipal organisation, these possible new bodies can be charged with the functions of a «multi door service».

PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENT MODEL FORMATION IN MUNICIPALITIES

In a rapidly moving society the pressure on the public sector is growing to provide results that are important to local community. Therefore, performance measurement is becoming a vital tool for local government modernisation. The purpose of this paper is to develop the model of performance measurement system in municipalities that enables to disclose the peculiarities when measuring the performance and to ensure the utility and internal resources based on continual improvement in municipalities. The literature analysis revealed that municipalities are extremely complex and that various regulators and peculiarities should be incorporated into the formation of performance measurement model in municipalities. The formed performance measurement model suggests measuring the performance through external and internal environment, where the three main types of accountability are included. Developed performance measurement model is being implemented by applying six main stages. The findings of created performance measurement model highlighted the necessity to test empirically the applicability of created performance measurement model for municipalities. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.em.18.3.4224

Sistema de indicadores para políticas municipales culturales: una herramienta de evaluación · Indicators system for municipal cultural policies: an assessment tool

The evaluation of public policies and social and cultural policies in particular, continues to be an objective in the modernization of local government. Theaim of this paper is to provide a tool for applying in evaluation process. The toolis a system of indicators to cultural empowerment policies. A proposal thatallows us not only to obtain information regarding the management of local governments, but one which also contributes to producing change and high lighting possible intervention strategies for said governments. Our proposal is based on areview of the literature and a process of expert validation, the results of whichare applied to a Spanish municipality by means of a case study. The research wehave conducted provides evidence of a lack of evaluative instruments in thedomain of public policies. It also proposes and describes a system of indicatorsaimed at municipal managers and politicians interested in evaluating the actionsand strategies they implement in this domain of local empowerment policies. Atthe same time, this instrument should also make it possible to identify requirementsand orientate future lines of action with a view to improving such policies,thus encouraging the development of municipal policies in this domain

From Brigade to Service: An Examination of the Role of Fire and Rescue Services in Modern Local Government

Over the last ten years, local government modernisation and the growth of community safety agendas have called for change in the public sector at a local level. This has been typified by partnership work, improvement and inspection and community governance. The fire and rescue services, despite some initial cultural difficulties, haveworked hard to adapt themselves to modern local government, for example through community fire safety work, which is presented as a case study. However, the culmination of the modernisation project, Comprehensive Area Assessment, does not favour the fire and rescue service, and to an extent excludes them from its formula. In this light, it seems that there is little incentive for the Fire Service to continue its modernising trajectory.

Local Government at the Nexus?

The modernisation of local government in the UK, pursued by Labour governments since 1997, has covered many, often conflicting elements. Councils have been encouraged to be both strategic ‘place shapers’ and also involved in the nurturing of democratic engagement. This latter theme of ‘democratic renewal’ has in itself contained paradoxical elements, but has been a consistent focus of attention. This debate around democratic renewal has also taken place in the context of a broader ‘rethinking’ of local governments’ role, in an era of partnerships, governance and new models of service delivery. Normatively and practically new justifications for local government have been sought. One such normative foundation has drawn on a range of theoretical perspectives to reimagine the place of local government in the democratic polity, seeing local authorities and local councilors as facilitators or nurturers of democratic health. In particular, broad theoretical developments in communicative and deliberative democracy, and also, more recently, on work based in ‘second generation’ governance theory, have been drawn upon to place local government at the nexus of state and civil society. This paper will examine the possibilities for such a role, from a normative standpoint, to argue that local government can have only limited success in this role, particularly in the context of New Labour's restructuring of the local state.

An inquiry into the strategic‐operational role of performance management in local government

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to investigate the links and relationships between strategy and operations in local government improvement efforts under the umbrella of the Local Government Modernisation Agenda (LGMA) in England. More specifically, it explores the implementation of structured change methods and performance measurement and management initiatives that claim to have a linked strategic and operational focus through to stakeholder impact.Design/methodology/approachThis research adopts an interpretive multiple case approach (n=5), using in‐depth semi‐structured interviews and focus groups, as well as substantive archive information.FindingsThe structured integration of strategic level policy‐setting and its associated operational level activity in local authorities is often obscure and lacking in cohesiveness. Performance measurement and management at the strategic level is, for the most part, driven by emerging legislation and the need for compliance rather than improving service effectiveness. This has led to discontinuity, delays in implementing policy, and criticism of performance measures from service delivery staff.Practical implicationsThere is a need for improved integration across the strategic‐operational divide, which requires improved understanding and translation approaches. Methods adopted from other sectors should be assessed critically and tailored to suit this need rather than adopting an off‐the‐shelf provision.Originality/valueThere is a paucity of in‐depth studies relating to performance measurement and management across the strategic‐operational span in the public sector in general, and local government in particular. Increased understanding in this area is of critical importance in relation to implementing effectively the current and future modernisation and reform initiatives.

Local Political Leadership and the Modernisation of Local Government

Political leadership has been a key element of central government's attempts to ‘modernise’ local government over the past decade, within a discourse that emphasised ‘strong’ and ‘visible’ leadership and the role of leaders and leadership in driving change within local authorities. In the context of such an approach, and also taking account of academic discourse, this article draws upon interviews with nearly thirty individuals in leadership positions in local authorities in England, Scotland and Wales to assess their experiences of leadership and their views of some aspects of the role and work of councils. It suggests that whilst there is broad convergence between the aspirations of government and the narratives that emerge from these leaders on some aspects of local political leadership, there are also differences, perhaps most notably over the relationship between changes to decision-making structures and the loci of political power.