Structure Of Local Government Research Articles

Opportunities and struggles of decentralized governance reform for urban municipalities in India

The most important policy argument concerning urban governance in India is the enactment of 74th Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA), 1992. This Act gives constitutional recognition to urban local bodies in India, namely, municipal corporations, municipalities and nagar panchayats and empowers them to function as institution of self-governance. However, the implementation of the Act has not taken place in totality. The reform mainly favored large urban local bodies such as municipal corporations and the concerns on functional autonomy and finances of smaller urban local bodies remained ignored. Therefore, this study highlights the present situation of local governance structure in the small and medium urban local bodies. This study examines, from a micro perspective, the capacities of small and medium urban local bodies in governing, managing and financing of urban services for the local development.

Set in Stone? Predicting Confederate Monument Removal

ABSTRACTRecent events have led to a renewed conversation surrounding the relevance and potential removal of Confederate monuments around the country, and several monuments have already been removed. However, we have little insight to explain why some monuments have been removed while others remain. This article seeks to understand the social and political determinants that can better explain the recent removal of Confederate monuments throughout the United States. Analyzing results from an original dataset of Confederate monuments, we identify which local government structures and racial and civic characteristics best predict the removal of these monuments. Ultimately, although we find that other factors contribute to monument removal, the size of the black population, the presence of a National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapter, and the percentage of Democrats in a county in which a monument exists—as well as whether the monument exists in a state that constrains removal by legislative decree—best predict whether a Confederate monument will be taken down. This project elucidates the interplay of race, partisanship, and local and statewide politics as it relates to the dismantling of Confederate monuments.

Not quite what’s on paper? Comparison between theoretical and actual information-sharing networks in the Ugandan rural water service sector

Under Uganda’s decentralised system, rural water service delivery remains to some extent problematic. Several studies attribute the possible causes of deficiencies in the water sector to governance issues. This article applies social network analysis to map upward and downward water-related information flows between the actors of local government from village to district level. Comparing the actual information-sharing network with what’s on paper reveals a less reciprocal and more centralised network than that theoretically envisaged. Some actors, such as the district water officer, are more central than expected in terms of sending and receiving information, while others seem to underperform. Our findings show, however, that it is not the political–administrative information exchange which is the biggest obstacle, but rather information flows between higher (district and sub-county) and lower (parish and village) levels of the local governance structure. Adding water users to the analysis reveals the village chairperson as the most crucial broker of information upward to duty bearers at district level. The limited role of water user committees also becomes apparent. The authors conclude that information communication technology holds potential to overcome some of the bottlenecks (eg distance) hindering the flow of water-related information between actors at different levels.

Licensing of artisanal mining on private land in Uganda: social and economic implications for female spouses and women entrepreneurs

ABSTRACTBased on research conducted from October 2015 through June 2018, this paper highlights the social and economic implications of licensing artisanal mining on women’s land rights in Uganda. It also brings to the fore how artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) governance is affecting women’s participation in the sector. It examines how women as spouses and as entrepreneurs in the ASM sector are affected by the prevailing local governance structures and land tenure arrangements; the arrangements in place to ensure that female spouses get a share of compensation and other long-term benefits from ASM; and the ramifications of the lacuna between policy and enforcement on spouses and on women engaged in the ASM sector. The results show that the rights of women in the ASM sector are subjugated to social cultural practices, contradictory laws regarding women’s land rights, poor law enforcement, and weak structures for ASM governance.

The New Face of Under-Resourced Communities

This report examines the current state of under-resourced communities— relatively heavily populated areas of high poverty and low income located in metropolitan areas. More than 1400 municipalities and unincorporated places in 183 metropolitan areas include all or part of an under-resourced community as defined in this report. Analyzing data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey for the years 2014 through 2018, the report finds that: The residents of under-resourced communities make up 14 percent of the U.S. population but 31 percent of the nation’s poor. Taken together, the nation’s under-resourced communities have a poverty rate of 29 percent, more than double the 13 percent poverty rate of the nation as a whole. Taken together, 52 percent of under-resourced community residents are people of color, compared to 27 percent of all U.S. residents. These communities are 31 percent Black, compared to 13 percent for the nation as a whole. Under-resourced communities in the Midwest, South, and Northeast have high percentages of residents who are Black, while under-resourced communities in the West are majority Hispanic or Latino and have a low percentage of residents who are Black. Of those who live in under-resourced communities, 69 percent live in principal cities and 31 percent live in suburbs. Both the total population and the poor population of under-resourced communities are split about evenly between cities with populations of 250,000 or more and those with populations below 250,000. For the 450 major cities that have under-resourced communities, the report ranks those communities according to their level of economic disadvantage, measured by their poverty rate and the percentage of all poor residents of the city who live in those communities. The rankings show that: Among the 450 ranked cities, the five most disadvantaged under-resourced communities are located in Dearborn, MI; Flint, MI; Youngstown, OH; York, PA; and Detroit, MI, while the five least disadvantaged are located in San Jose, CA; Berkeley, CA; Longmont, CO; Federal Way, WA; and Baldwin Park, CA. In general, under-resourced communities are more disadvantaged if they: Are located in the Midwest or Northeast. Are located in principal cities. Have large percentages of residents who are Black. Are located in cities of 500,000 or more residents. These geographic and demographic patterns of disadvantage likely result from systemic racism; regional differences in the structure of local government; better public transportation and older, less expensive housing in principal cities; and exclusionary zoning in many suburbs. The report recommends comprehensive community development strategies to reduce concentrated poverty in under-resourced communities in ways that benefit and reflect the priorities of low-income residents and build on the strengths of their communities.

DEMOCRATIZING LOCAL GOVERNMENT: WHAT MALAYSIA CAN LEARN FROM MEXICO AND INDIA

The Pakatan Harapan 2018 election manifesto had established commitments to strengthen the authority of local government, and to make local councils more accountable. This suggested that the local government elections would resume, after an absence of more than 60 years. While the Pakatan Harapan’s tenure as Malaysia’s ruling government was short-lived, their rise to power did put the local government back into the spotlight, as well as elevated the prospects of the resumption of local government elections in the country. There are a number of reasons that supports a more democratic and participatory approach to local government which has been highly hoped for in Malaysia. These include the view that it discourages public malfeasance and produces local officials that are more responsive to the needs of the citizens they serve. However, there are challenges that follow with the introduction of a more democratic form of local government, especially for countries that are attempting to transition from authoritarianism to a democracy at the national level, and contain a diverse multi-ethnic population of differing socio-economic backgrounds. In order to better understand what these challenges are and how they can be overcome, this study examines two case studies, Mexico and India. These two countries have shown some similarities to Malaysia, particularly with regards to regime-type and demographics. This study considers the evolving approach taken by these two countries on their local government, in terms of their structure and practices. It is proposed that the case studies could provide potential lessons for Malaysia. This study begins with a brief historical overview of the system of local government in Malaysia to present day. This is followed by a discussion of the uneven experiences of Mexico and India on the efforts to democratize their local governments. The findings from the examination of both the case studies reveal the manner for which the countries with an authoritarian past often undergo during a transitional period, whereby although the structures of local governance have become more democratic, local officials and citizens are remain trapped in the old authoritarian modes of behavior. Unless interventionist steps are taken, democratizing local government structures alone do not necessarily lead to greater citizen empowerment, especially for those from the more marginalized sections of society.

Research on local government governance structure reform and function change based on artificial intelligence technology

The government and the market are two basic mechanisms to coordinate the conflict of economic interests of a country's social members. When the market cannot allocate resources effectively, it is necessary for the government to intervene in the economy. The deepening of the practice of government reform requires that theoretical research must constantly expand research ideas and perspectives. The original management methods, tools and technologies of local governments struggle to cope with these new changes, so local governments must carry out reforms and innovations. As one of the most cutting-edge technologies in the world, artificial intelligence has extensively and profoundly affected the production and life of human society. Based on the artificial intelligence technology and based on the analysis of the behaviour of the system, this paper conducts some preliminary analysis on the issues related to the reform of the local government governance structure and the transformation of functions.

Research on local government governance structure reform and function change based on artificial intelligence technology

The government and the market are two basic mechanisms to coordinate the conflict of economic interests of a country's social members. When the market cannot allocate resources effectively, it is necessary for the government to intervene in the economy. The deepening of the practice of government reform requires that theoretical research must constantly expand research ideas and perspectives. The original management methods, tools and technologies of local governments struggle to cope with these new changes, so local governments must carry out reforms and innovations. As one of the most cutting-edge technologies in the world, artificial intelligence has extensively and profoundly affected the production and life of human society. Based on the artificial intelligence technology and based on the analysis of the behaviour of the system, this paper conducts some preliminary analysis on the issues related to the reform of the local government governance structure and the transformation of functions.

The Municipal Council in the Polish Local Government Structure: Selected Aspects

The article presents selected aspects being a consequence of the evolution of local government in Poland. The main attention is focused on the presentation of the structure and competences of the municipal council, in the context of systemic changes of local government. The article is of a review nature character and its aim is to diagnose organisational solutions concerning the municipal council in Poland. The main premise of the article implies that the process of evaluation of the structure and functioning of the municipal council is conditioned by involvement of the local residents who experience its influence on their daily lives, including meeting their needs. Decentralisation and participation of local community members in local government structures such as the municipal council or other bodies are key issues in civil society development. The process of local government evolution has not been completed and localgovernment organisation and functionality does not deviate from European standards.

Development of information support of the system of administrative services provision in local government structures in conditions of decentralization

Development of information support of the system of administrative services provision in local government structures in conditions of decentralization

A Study on the Trends and Characteristics of Financial Structure and Performance of Local Government Invested and Contributed Companies

A Study on the Trends and Characteristics of Financial Structure and Performance of Local Government Invested and Contributed Companies

Franchise Extension and Fiscal Structure in the United Kingdom 1820-1913: A New Test of the Redistribution Hypothesis

We study the effect of franchise extension on the fiscal structure of central and local governments in the United Kingdom between 1820 and 1913 to revisit the Redistribution Hypothesis - the prediction that franchise extension causes an increase in state-sponsored redistribution. We adopt a novel method of uncovering causality from non-experimental data proposed by Hoover (2001). This method is based on tests for structural breaks in the marginal and conditional distributions of the franchise and fiscal structure time series preceded by a detailed historical narrative analysis. We do not find any compelling evidence that supports the Redistribution Hypothesis.

The Politics of Private Sector Investment in Local Economic Development: Local Governance and Regulatory Frameworks in <i>Gurage</i> Zone, Ethiopia

Private investment is one of the prominent approaches to local economic development. The focus of this study is the exploration of the political elements of private investment in local economic development activities in the backgrounds of local governance. A combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods challenged the idea that private investment, considered economically, contributes to local economic development, an assumption that isolates private investment from the surrounding environments. Therefore, the study found out that private investment in Gurage Zone has been showing an inconsistent trend in terms of its contribution to land development, employment creation, and capital generation. This inconsistency is reflective of the nature of private investment which is a depoliticized, delocalized, and de-bureaucratized program highly isolated from the local realities. This again is related to the detrimental effect of local governance structure which is fragmented, asymmetrical, poorly structured, and de-contextualized, thereby creating weak-bureaucratic services, inefficient partnership, and poorly structured governance platforms. Thus, the study concludes that private investment in Gurage zone is being restrained because of its isolation from the local realities, political imperatives, bureaucratic networks, and resource contexts, supposed to be controlled by the local governments.

Provision of water and sanitation during the Covid-19 crisis : comparative case study in predominantly urban and predominantly rural provinces

The South African Local Government is mandated by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa to serve the needs of their communities by providing a democratic and accountable government for local communities, ensure the provision of services such water and electricity to communities in a sustainable manner, promote social and economic development, promote a safe and healthy environment and encourage the involvement of communities and community organisations in the maetrs of local government (RSA 1996; Parliament of the Republic of South Africa 2018). The Government of South Africa created a three-tier governance layer, that is, national, provincial, and the local layer, to enable provision of essential services to citizens. The local layer was created as a decentralisation strategy to bring government closer to citizens and for speedy service delivery (Siddle: cited in Makale 2015). It is categorised into metropolitan, district, and local municipalities with diefrent service delivery mechanisms aimed at enhancing service delivery (RSA 1998). Despite the existence of the Local Government structure, the South African government continues to have deficient delivery of basic services such as water, housing, electricity, education, health, and sanitation especially in black urban townships as well as in rural areas in South Africa. According to the 2013 General Household Survey findings, provinces consisting mainly of urban areas and formal agricultural rural areas, that is Western Cape, Gauteng, Free State, and North West, had beetr access to basic services compared to predominantly rural provinces, that is, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZuluNatal, and Northern Cape (Statistics SA 2014). The reason for the beetr levels of basic municipal services in the predominantly urban provinces was their close proximity to points of interest such as airports, mines, national roads, educational and health facilities (Makale 2015). The provision of basic services to certain communities in South Africa has met challenges as local government still struggles to ensure that services reach all citizens. Certain areas within South Africa are still underdeveloped with lack of access to basic services and residents live in poverty. The revenue for municipalities in these areas is negatively impacted as they strive to do more with less ifnancial resources to ensure that basic services reach every citizen (Makale 2015). As a result, South African municipalities make headlines due to the unending reports of service delivery protests for not delivering on their mandate.

Generational Gaps: Women, Rural Traditions and Community Networks*

Abstract Community Networks (CNs) can provide access to telecommunications in low-income rural areas that are excluded by dominant connectivity models. Women and older people often constitute relatively higher proportions of these populations, thus this paper explores interactions between technology, gender and age in three CNs in rural Africa, Latin America and South Asia. All cases are situated both in local governance structures dominated by men, including a tribal authority, indigenous assembly, and a village council; and in collectivist cultures where women are involved in community work but not in decision-making. I generated data about people’s everyday practices and opinions in relation to their local CNs in focus group discussions and interviews of different sorts with 76 men and 60 women, including network initiators, champions, operators, users and non-users. Older women significantly contributed volunteer labour but were less likely to use their CN, for instance because they did do not own/know how to use devices, or because the location of hotspots was unsuited to their daily lives. Meanwhile, younger women frequently used alternatives to the CNs for connectivity and sometimes established their own enterprises in this; which contributed to some older women’s perspectives that younger women were increasingly separated from communal traditions. This has the potential to amplify generational gaps amongst women and patriarchy within CNs. Such divisive potential may be further exacerbated by masculine bias of priorities in global discourse on telecommunications technology and policy, which tends to emphasise certain concerns about access over concerns about power relations embedded in infrastructure.

Porozumienia samorządowe z udziałem jednostek samorządu terytorialnego na tle innych form działania w sferze administracji publicznej

<p>Among the administrative arrangements (<em>porozumienia administracyjne</em>), one should distinguish a category of local-government arrangements (<em>porozumienia samorządowe</em>), i.e. those involving local government units. In the first place, it should be distinguished vertical arrangements, i.e. arrangements between units of different levels of the local government structure: arrangements between poviats (counties) and communes, between voivodeships (regions) and communes, and between voivodeships and poviats. Secondly, horizontal arrangements i.e. between communes, between poviats and between regions. Local government arrangements are a non-sovereign form of activity of the public administration, entered into with mutual declarations of intent of the parties. The basis for their conclusion is a resolution of the legislative body of a local government unit to agree to cooperate under the local government arrangement, while the very act of the arrangement is concluded by the executive body of the local government unit. The purpose of the local government arrangement is to ensure the fulfilment of a public task, to agree on its implementation and the necessary actions. The entrusting of public tasks by means of a local government arrangement is effected under public law and not by a civil contract. The arrangement relates to the implementation of already existing tasks, defined by specific legal provisions, resulting from the legal-systemic position of the parties to the arrangement, so they do not create new obligations arising from the arrangement concluded.</p>

Local Finance: Financial Resources Problem in Thailand

<div><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="left"><tbody><tr><td align="left" valign="top"><h1 align="center"><span style="font-size: 2em;">This study examines local government revenue in the 2016 fiscal year. The study makes use of local budget allocation documents to analyse problems with local public finance from the Department of Local Administration and employs data collected from four groups, namely government officials, experts, local politicians, and local government officials. This study reveals several findings. First, revenue structure of local government does not reflect self-reliance and fiscal autonomy. Instead the revenue of all types of local administrative organizations (LAOs) rely mostly on grants rather than on their self-collected revenues. Second, local administration organizations’ revenue between regions is unequal. LAOs in the Northeastern region show the lowest revenues per head from all revenue sources, and grant allocation is not academic-based. The fact that the Northeastern revenue and tax collection is lower than other regions, and that this region is allocated the smallest and fewest grants by the government, is evidence of this. Fourth, finance laws, especially regarding local finance, are outdated. There is no specific legislation on the identification of revenue sources of local administrative organizations, nor is there legislation on the regulation and practice of seeking new revenue sources for these organizations. And fifth, local administrative organizations are incapable of improving the local financial system that includes financial management, staff, and taxpayers.</span></h1><h1> </h1></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p> </p>

Theoretical and Methodological Approaches to the Definition of Legal Norms Aimed to Regulate Relations in the Field of Administrative-Territorial Structure and Territorial Organization of Local Self Government

In modern legal literature quite a large number of papers are devoted to the problems of legal regulation in which legal scholars try to improve the texts of normative legal acts. However, most of the problems in this area occur for another reason. They occur because of inconsistency of legal norms with regard to the relations that they are supposed to regulate. The paper not only attempts to present a different view on the process of lawmaking. It also suggests some ways to improve the procedure for creating normative legal acts on the basis of the theory of the balance between subjects of law. The article focuses on the relations that develop with regard to the territory as the most obvious physically expressed standing area determining relations between people. The paper has applied the main provisions of the previously developed theory of correlation of subjects of law in the framework of which the relations between different participants of legal relations concerning a certain territory are being analyzed. In addition, the author investigates the problems of the current legal regulation and the practice of implementation of legal relations. The modern legal doctrine has been analyzed in the context of the issue under consideration. The whole set of the presented approaches allowed the author to build logically more correct, in contrast to the existing, procedure for creating the rules of law concerning the territory. As the result of the study, the author suggests using new approaches to law-making processes on the basis of the identified problems of the balance between legal norms and relations that they are expected to regulate. The paper also describes the methodology of creating lawmaking and contains a case study of transformation of the existing normative legal regulation in Sevastopol.

Multi-level governance in local governments in the Federal Republic of Germany

Samorząd gminny w Niemczech, wykonując zadania publiczne w ramach multilevel governance, pełni najważniejszą rolę w układzie sieciowym. Jako organ państwa inicjuje i zmienia formy koordynacji działań zbiorowych. Głównym problemem, jaki legł u podstaw artykułu jest używanie siatki pojęciowej, występującej w zdekoncentrowanej strukturze administracji publicznej w krajach anglosaskich, do opisu multi-level governance w zdecentralizowanych formach administracji publicznej. Celem głównym artykułu jest zaprezentowanie w jaki sposób koncepcja multi-level governance została dostosowana do specyfiki niemieckiego samorządu gminnego oraz na czym polega jej istota. Celowi głównemu podporządkowano następujące pytania badawcze: Jaka jest różnica w genezie governance w Niemczech w porównaniu do tradycji państw anglosaskich? W jaki sposób są realizowane zadania publiczne w ramach multi-level governance w Niemczech? Jakie są formy organizacyjno-prawne wykonywania zadań publicznych? Artykuł został przygotowany według założeń nowego instytucjonalizmu. W celu zaprezentowania sposobów wykonywania zadań publicznych w koncepcji multi-level governance zastosowano metodę funkcjonalną, która umożliwiła wyłonienie tych zadań, które mogą być realizowano zarówno przez jednostki samorządu terytorialnego, jak i instytucje samorządu gospodarczego. Uzupełniając rozważania zastosowano również metodę instytucjonalną pokazującą specyfikę współpracy samorządu gminnego z innymi podmiotami publicznoprawnymi i prywatnoprawnymi. Z badań nad multi-level governance w Niemczech autorka wyciągnęła trzy wnioski, wokół których powstał artykuł. Po pierwsze, powstanie multi-level governance w Niemczech oparte jest na działaniach odgórnych i następuje od kraju związkowego do gmin (top-down). Tworzenie układu sieciowego wynika wówczas z przekonania władz państwowych o efektywniejszej realizacji zadań publicznych opartej na współpracy z podmiotami prywatnymi, których działania moderowane są przez podmioty władcze. Po drugie, wprowadzenie multi-level governance na poziomie lokalnym poprzedzone jest regional governance na szczeblu krajów związkowych stanowiącą dostosowanie koncepcji governance do specyfiki państwa federalnego. Po trzecie, multi-level governance zostało wprowadzone w strukturę samorządu gminnego za pośrednictwem specjalnego typu zadań publicznych (Gemeinschaftsaufgaben).

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.