Municipal Capacity Research Articles

The sources of municipalities’ innovation in the management of weather disaster risks, their relationships, and their antecedents

ABSTRACT This article presents the results of a study on the use of internal and external sources of innovation by municipalities to deal with weather hazards. Using data collected by an online survey of municipal emergency management coordinators in Quebec – Canada, this study shows that municipalities rely primarily on their expertise and, to a lesser extent, on peer organisations and upper levels of governments to develop new solutions to weather hazards. In addition, this study finds weak support for the complementarity hypothesis between internal and external sources of innovation and suggests strongly that these sources of innovation are not substitutable. The capacity and vulnerability of municipalities, as well as political support for initiatives to improve the management of weather disasters, seem to be significant drivers of innovation. Finally, efforts aimed at strengthening public organisations’ internal capacities and creating incentives to facilitate collaborations between public organisations are important levers to stimulate innovation.

Vigilância em Saúde em tempos de pandemia: análise dos planos de contingência dos estados do Nordeste

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic revealed a number of challenges for health systems, requiring rapid decision making and integrated actions for its contingency. Health Surveillance is one of the key elements in developing responses to the pandemic. Objective: To analyze how the Health Surveillance has been thought by the state management structures in the Northeast of Brazil, considering the proposal of contingency measures for the confrontation to COVID-19. Method: It is a descriptive study, documental-based, analytical-reflexive, which took as an object the official publications of state health secretariats of the northeastern states, produced from the elaboration of government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis process, anchored in theoretical-methodological assumptions of content analysis, considered the following components: (1) formal organization and structure; (2) defined objectives, general and specific and; (3) defined proposals for Health Surveillance. Results: The analysis led to the constitution of two categories: 1) political-managerial aspects of Health Surveillance; 2) organizational articulations of Health Surveillance. The first category discusses the relationship between state and municipal Health Surveillance, based on the capacity of institutionalization of government management. The second category focuses on the interface of the Health Surveillance with other health sectors and, in intersectoriality. Conclusions: In the northeastern context, challenges are posed to the organization of Health Surveillance responses in the management of the COVID-19 pandemic response, highlighting the intergovernmental articulation capacity of states and municipalities and the Health Surveillance interface with other health and social sectors.

Atividade virtual no Facebook: comparando prefeituras gaúchas a partir de fatores demográficos, financeiros e políticos

Society has been demanding greater participation of public organizations in the management and stricter monitoring of the quality of services, creating the need for new ways of bringing governments closer to society, and with social networks being a means of communication between these actors. So this study aimed to compare the average virtual activity of Rio Grande do Sul municipalities on Facebook considering demographic, financial and political factors. For this purpose, 60 municipalities in the Rio Grande do Sul were investigated. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, t-test for independent samples and Mann-Whitney test. The main results indicate that for the municipalities of Rio Grande do Sul, the virtual activity on Facebook, on average, is different according to the number of page fans, the population size, the number of elderly people, the number of people with higher education, the economic capacity and electoral participation of municipalities (p 0.05). Municipal managers can use these results to develop new publishing practices on their social networks, capable of promoting activities that cover the public service more dynamically and attractively.

ASPECTS OF INEQUALITY IN THE CONTEXT OF EMPLOYMENT OF PRE-SCHOOL TEACHERS IN LATVIA

Policy-making in education involves social agents at national, municipal and institutional levels. National regulations and financial capacity of municipalities determine working conditions of teachers and employment aspects at all levels of the education system. For several years, discussions have been taking place in Latvia involving employers of education sector and policy makers on tackling inequalities in pay and workload principles for pre-school teachers. Situation of the pre-school teachers varies across municipalities and is affected by their financial opportunities to sustain educational institutions and ensure teachers’ salaries. In 2019, Latvian Trade Union of Education and Science Employees conducted a survey of all 119 municipalities in order to identify inequalities in the context of the pre-school teachers’ employment. Actor network theory was used to examine links and interactions between actors in education policy, thus addressing inequalities in pre-school education. According to the survey, workload of the pre-school teachers is being reduced in order to meet the requirements of the regulatory framework regarding the minimum monthly wage of the teachers. Higher wages the teachers receive in Pieriga region, which is comparatively wealthier than other regions of Latvia. In order to ensure equal pay for all pre-school teachers in all municipalities, it is necessary to ensure financing from the state budget.

A deadlock of Russian fiscal federalism

Subject. Highly regulated financial system, where only federal budget's interests are observed, is inefficient. It entails irrational use of taxable capacity of regions and municipalities and contributes to inflation upturn. This urgent problem requires the earliest solution, as about one third of able-bodied citizens of the Russian Federation are involved in its public sector. Objectives. The aim of the study is to review the status of intergovernmental fiscal relations in the Russian Federation and underpin the need for cardinal changes. Methods. The study rests on the systems approach, methods of scientific knowledge and statistical techniques. Results. The paper provides a rationale for the crisis state of the budgetary regulation system in Russia and shows prospects to overcome it; reveals and analyzes gaps in the current order of inter-budget relations formation; defines the need for a shift towards the principles of decentralization of budget organization. Conclusions and Relevance. The study will contribute to substantiation of the change-over to the liberal model of inter-budget relations, which corresponds to world standards.

New Policy Approaches for Increasing Response to Climate Change in Small Rural Municipalities

Although nearly half of the world population lives in rural small municipalities, research on climate change policy at this level is widely neglected. Frequently climate change adaptation is not a policy field in these small municipalities, which is both a problem and a risk. This paper aims at analyzing the climate policy of small and medium-sized local authorities with specific focus on adaptation. It presents results from a comprehensive survey among approximately 400 small municipalities in Bavaria, Germany. The study analyzes the perception of climate change risks and the perceived need for response, the fields of action, the triggering and influencing factors in the political process, and the people and bodies involved. Our findings reveal that in most cases small municipalities do not follow a strategic and holistic approach for climate change adaptation. Especially among small and very small municipalities, the study shows a gap between discussing climate change and setting up mitigation or adaptation measures. In conclusion, we present three policy implications for increasing the adaptive capacity of small municipalities. These address the increase of awareness of adaptation needs, effective management structures and the mandatory integration of a climate strategy into the long-term local political agenda.

Workforce Capacity in Municipal Government

AbstractThe central aim of this article is to examine trends in the municipal government workforce in metropolitan (urban) areas. It explores, from a local public economies perspective, how the intergovernmental organization of municipalities influences their workforce capacities. The article situates the local labor market in state‐local systems and examines how local governments respond to fragmentation in a metropolitan area. The main finding is that the employment capacity of municipalities varies widely across metro areas, with local and intergovernmental factors affecting municipal workforces and labor expenditures. Local capacities and the state's labor framework appear to be influential in the level of government employment. Facing various challenges, municipalities adapt their workforce levels to changing conditions in urban areas. While its main contribution is to research on local government capacity, the article also draws from the intergovernmental literature to identify factors that influence the workforce capacity of municipal governments.

The territorial fiscal gap in Colombia

This paper presents an estimation of expenditure needs and fiscal capacity of Colombia's municipalities and departments in 2014. We use standard per capita norms to estimate the spending needs and data envelopment analysis for the local fiscal capacity. The results show that: (i) there are high horizontal fiscal disparities in Colombia, with greater incidence in municipalities than in departments; (ii) these disparities favour more developed territories; and (iii) there is evidence of a centre‐periphery pattern in the horizontal fiscal disparities, causing central regions of the country to have a lower imbalance between expenditure needs and fiscal capacity.

DECENTRALIZATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL LICENSING AND IMPACT ASSESSMENT IN BRAZIL: LITERATURE AND REGULATORY REVIEWS

Abstract Environmental licensing and environmental impact assessment have been increasingly implemented by Brazilian municipalities, which have been historically plagued by problems of institutional capacity. The aim of this article was to critically synthetize the regulations and scientific empirical studies about the decentralized implementation of such tools in Brazilian municipalities, as well as to explore the perception of specialists about this phenomenon. This study adopted a predominantly qualitative and sequential approach, informed by data collected through content analysis of state regulations and a focus group. Overall, findings show that part of the objectives of the 25 reviewed regulations is not clearly reflected in practice. The 53 identified publications corroborate the existence of problems of institutional capacity in municipalities. The focus group revealed that decentralization, despite the challenges, could be a driver of institutional capacity at local administrations. The article highlights the need for capacity-building and institutional innovation, and suggests future avenues of research.

A civil society organisation response to water service delivery issues in South Africa drives transformative praxis. Part 1: Emergence and practice

South Africa has a progressive constitution and water legislation that align with and are in support of the country becoming a developmental state. Public participation in water governance processes is provided for in South African water law and is an integral component to achieving the National Water Act developmental principles of equity, sustainability and efficiency.Decentralisation of water service delivery to the local sphere of government has stretched the capacity of municipalities to the point of dysfunction. An opportunity subsequently emerged for civil society organisations (CSOs) to play an important collaborative role in transforming water service delivery to more socially and ecologically just situations. We argue that it is important to understand how CSOs emerge and practice in order to develop and support their role in the South African water sector. The research employed qualitative methods to explore the emergence and practice of a civil society organisation, Water for Dignity (WfD), in response to water service delivery challenges in the Makana Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Communities of practice theory was adopted as a theoretical and analytical lens to explore the stages of development of WfD and the enabling and constraining factors to their practice. Factors that enabled the emergence and practice of WfD included: skilled support from stakeholders of distributed expertise and highly motivated core WfD members. Constraining factors included: poor internal leadership, socio-economic constraints and command and control by powerful stakeholders. The principles distilled in this paper can inform the emergence and function of similar civil society organisations in other local government contexts and forward the developmental goals of South Africa.

THE FINANCIAL SITUATION AT A MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT LEVEL VS. STANDARDS OF LIVING OF THE POPULATION IN THE WIELKOPOLSKIE VOIVODSHIP: A SPATIAL ANALYSIS

The purpose of this paper is to identify the (spatial) relationships between the standards of living of the population and the financial capacity of municipalities, with particular focus on rural areas, based on 2017 data. The survey covered all of the 226 municipalities of the Wielkopolskie voivodship. As a result of the multidimensionality of economic categories covered by the analysis, this study used the TOPSIS method to assess the standards of living of the population and the financial capacity of municipalities. An analysis of spatial autocorrelation between the synthetic indicators was carried out based on Moran’s I statistics (local and global) to identify the clusters of municipalities reporting a similar level of aspects covered by this study. A spatial regression analysis was carried out to assess the strength of spatial relationships between the synthetic indicators of the standards of living and the financial capacity of municipalities. A strong correlation exists between the synthetic indicators. Moreover, both the indicator of the standards of living in the municipalities considered and the indicator of the municipalities’ financial capacity demonstrate a statistically significant spatial autocorrelation. The spatial autocorrelation model developed in this study takes account of the mean error in neighbouring locations to better explain the dependencies between these aspects than a traditional least-squares model.

The Garbage Problem: Corruption, Innovation, and Capacity in Four American Cities, 1890–1940

While American political development scholars tend to focus on national or state-level politics, late nineteenth-century cities provided the lion's share of services: clean water, paved and lighted streets, and sanitation. How did cities innovate and build municipal capacity to do these things? We answer this question by looking at municipal responses to the garbage problem. As cities grew and trash piled up in the 1890s, cities explored ways to effectively collect the garbage. A government requires not just resources, but also the ability to marshal those resources. Corruption could provide such abilities. Looking at four corrupt cities—Pittsburgh, Charleston, New Orleans, and St. Louis—we consider whether corruption, and what type of corruption, fostered innovation and capacity. We compare these corrupt cities with a shadow study of the reformist government of Columbus. We found the following: (1) The logic of corruption is the most important factor to explain why municipal governments chose particular garbage strategies. Corrupt regimes chose garbage collection and disposal strategies that would benefit themselves—but these varied depending on what type of corruption dominated a city. (2) Corruption sometimes promoted innovation and capacity, but at other times, corruption hindered them. For better or worse, cities ruled by corruption gained the capacity that these informal regimes held.

The Potential Capacity of Hamlets: Comparative Research on Small European Municipalities

The main theories on small municipalities and the practices as seen in many a country involving the consolidation thereof presume that the contextual and structural conditions under which small municipalities have to perform work to their detriment and pose a threat to their viability. However, the institutional and human resource conditions in which small municipalities operate might work both ways, being profitable as well as disadvantageous. This paper investigates what is theoretically known and can be empirically deduced about the capacity of small municipalities in Europe. The conclusion is that existing research is inconclusive in its outcomes regarding the actual capacity of so-called hamlets and that existing data related to local capacity are unfit to measure such among these small municipalities. Nonetheless, the paper concludes that although no conclusions can be drawn on the actual capacity of small municipalities, their potential capacity is significant. This is concluded based on their legal protection, their inclination to focus on a limited number of policy areas, their access to central and regional decision-making, and especially the trust they receive from their residents.

Best Practices for Onsite Wastewater System Inspections, Maintenance and Record Keeping in the Lake Simcoe Watershed

Onsite wastewater systems, commonly known as septic systems, can pose serious threats to the health and functionality of lakes, aquatic systems, and rural communities if effluent is not sufficiently treated. To ensure septic systems are functioning well and having minimal impacts on the natural environment and human health, regular maintenance, reinspections, and record keeping are required under Section 8.9 of the Ontario Building Code. The objective of this project is to improve the capacity of municipalities within the Lake Simcoe Watershed for adopting septic reinspection program best practices. Mandated and discretionary programs will be analyzed for their effectiveness within vulnerable areas. The information gathered from the project research phases will be used to inform the development of a final proposed best practice framework for completing onsite wastewater system reinspection programs in Ontario.

A community resilience index for Norway: An adaptation of the Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities (BRIC)

In recent years, building disaster resilient communities has become a primary objective of crisis management institutions across the globe, as a resilient community is likely to suffer fewer losses and recover more quickly when faced with an adverse event. However, in order to strengthen a community's resilience, one needs to first establish a baseline, an initial measure that can be used to compare communities and to track changes over time. This article presents such a baseline, a community resilience index, for Norway. Following the approach outlined by the Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities (BRIC), the article constructs a hierarchical index, using 47 indicators divided into six subdomains, to describe the resilience capacities of the Norwegian municipalities. The results show considerable variations in the relative levels of resilience. Most markedly, there seems to be a north-south divide; i.e., many of the northern municipalities having lower levels of overall resilience and many of the southern municipalities having higher levels of overall resilience. These initial observations are further analysed by deconstructing the overall index into its components to identify driving forces behind the overall resilience score. To validate the results, the resilience scores are compared to previously established vulnerability metrics. The resilience and vulnerability metrics are then used to identify potential low-risk (high resilience, low vulnerability) and high-risk (low resilience, high vulnerability) areas across Norway.

Enhanced local-level willingness and ability to settle refugees: Decentralization and local responses to the refugee crisis in Norway

ABSTRACT The sudden mass influx of asylum seekers in Europe in 2015 placed major stresses on refugee reception systems and challenged central–local migration policymaking. This article explores how this crisis affected policymaking and implementation of refugee settlement in the case of Norway. We show that the local level kept its autonomy in matters of refugee settlement, despite the crisis context. Upkeep of local autonomy enabled municipalities to change their policy, willingness, and ability to settle the increasing numbers of refugees by enhancing municipal incremental problem-solving capacities. A major finding is that the crisis provided motivation for local politicians and employees alike. Solidarity arguments combined with self-interest motivated the shift in municipal policy. This case adds to our knowledge of the importance of the local dimension of migration policymaking in crisis contexts. Political decisions and the implementation of refugee settlement remained decentralized, exemplifying the potential of decentralized welfare states.

What Propels Municipal Governments to Collaborate? The Case of Thematic Environmental Association in Chile

Although it is widely accepted that inter-local agreements can enhance municipal governments’ capacity to provide complex services, there is little evidence in the Latin American case to explain why municipalities decide to collaborate with each other. What propels municipal governments to collaborate? Using data from Chilean government this paper identifies and analyzes the determinants of inter-local collaboration to address environmental issues. Five logit models are used for the empirical analysis. The results show that this form of cooperation is determined by poverty, population size, municipal fiscal capacity, and the degree of urbanization of local communities.

Measuring Municipal Capacity to Respond to Mobility

Mobility and urbanization are shaping cities in Southern Africa. Peri-urban areas in particular are transforming at such a pace that municipalities are struggling to keep up with the changes. Local government is trying to build appropriate capacity to respond to a mobile population, but it is not always clear where to focus capacity development efforts. Applying a diagnostic tool on local government capacity to respond to mobility, researchers both tested the tool and drew conclusions about the capacity of local government. This provides lessons for both how we measure the readiness of municipalities to respond to a mobile population and how we may focus capacity-building efforts.

Implementation and performance of Agenda 21 for local governments in Mexico

English Abstract:This article assesses the implementation and performance of Local Agenda 21 (LA21) in Mexico over a decade (2004–2013). Official records of municipal evaluations from all 31 Mexican states were analyzed, comprising 39 indicators of four dimensions of sustainable development: institutional, economic, social and environmental. A positive evolution of the implementation of LA21 was observed, with the economic and social dimensions presenting the best and worst performances, respectively. In general, the local governments of northern Mexico performed better than their southern counterparts. The voluntary nature of LA21 implementation is highlighted, yet necessitating a strengthening of municipal capacities in long-term planning, inter-administration continuity, efficacy evaluation, and integration of all sectors into a more coherent municipal agenda.Spanish Abstract:Este estudio analiza la implementación y desempeño de la Agenda Local 21 (AL21) en México en un periodo de una década (2004– 2013). Se analizaron registros oficiales de evaluaciones municipales de los 31 estados de la república, que comprenden 39 indicadores de cuatro dimensiones del desarrollo sustentable: institucional, económico, social y ambiental. Se observó una evolución positiva en la implementación de la AL21, con las dimensiones económica y social mostrando el mejor y peor desempeños, respectivamente. En general, los gobiernos locales del norte de México tuvieron mejores desempeños que sus contrapartes del sur. Se destaca la naturaleza voluntaria de la implementación de la AL21, que todavía necesita un fortalecimiento de las capacidades municipales en la planificación de largo plazo, en la continuidad inter-administrativa, la evaluación de eficacia y la integración de todos los sectores en una agenda municipal más coherente.French Abstract:Cette étude analyse la mise en oeuvre et les performances de l’Agenda 21 local (AL21) au Mexique sur une période de dix ans (2004- 2013). Les archives officielles des évaluations municipales des trente-et-un états de la République ont été analysées. Elles comprennent trente-neuf indicateurs de quatre dimensions du développement durable: institutionnel, économique, social et environnemental. Une évolution positive a été observée dans la mise en oeuvre du LA21, les dimensions économique et sociale affichant respectivement les meilleures et les plus basses performances. En général, les administrations locales du nord du Mexique ont obtenu de meilleurs résultats que leurs homologues du sud. On souligne la nature volontaire de la mise en oeuvre de la LA21, qui nécessite toutefois encore un renforcement des capacités municipales dans la planification à long terme, dans la continuité inter-administrative, l’évaluation de l’efficacité et l’intégration de tous les secteurs dans un agenda municipal plus cohérent.

Fracking in a fractured environment: Shale gas mining and institutional dynamics in South Africa’s young democracy

This paper situates the question of shale gas mining in South Africa within broader debates on policy co-ordination within governmental systems. The prospect of shale gas mining has posed severe challenges for the complex inter-governmental system in South Africa. Three key Departments are affected by possible shale gas mining: Mineral Resources, Environmental Affairs and Water Resources. Each of these Departments have different relationships with the provincial and municipal "spheres of government". The Department of Mineral Resources has attempted to promote shale gas mining with no reference to municipalities, whereas the other two Departments have attempted to build up municipal capacity. Municipalities have key functions which are protected in the Constitution. However, many municipalities are weak institutions, unwilling to defend their powers. The paper examines Municipal Integrated Development Plans in the potential shale gas region. Most municipalities seem to have no awareness at all of the shale gas issue. Recently, a High Court ruled that any shale gas mining regulations must be made by the Department of Environmental Affairs. With its more decentralist approach to governance, it will mean that municipalities will have more opportunities to participate in shale gas mining decisions.