Municipal Organizations Research Articles

The slow pace of building and organizing for trust in internal collaboration within social services

ABSTRACT This study sets out to understand how trust-building is created in a municipal organization when the highest level of decision-makers decides to implement trust-based governance. The study focuses on the social services internal organization. The aim was to capture how the participants perception of trust-building during internal collaboration through time, and how the process unfolded over time. A qualitative longitudinal study was designed, and data was gathered comprising written reflection texts about internal collaboration and activities to promote collaboration, ratings of perceived emotions and trust, and meeting observations. The study uses abductive thematic analysis. The main finding illustrates that to social relations and trust between individuals was challenging, however there was perceived trust in the overall change process to become one unit and identify common work methods. This study reinforces the need for physical social relational ties to see beyond the focus on new internal collaborative working methods. It stresses the importance of acknowledging personal and social chemistry in transitioning to new roles, responsibilities and professional skills to build trust.

Ruin and Knowledge in Pera: Discovering Istanbul’s Genoese Heritage at the Moment of Its Destruction

Abstract The 1860s and 1870s saw a massive campaign of reordering of Galata and Pera’s urban space, led by the newly founded district municipality of Altıncı Daire-i Belediye (the Sixth District)—the model municipal organization for the rest of the Ottoman Empire. The most striking and widespread part of this campaign was the destruction of the district’s medieval Genoese walls, dating back to the fourteenth century. The walls and the attached moats were replaced by wider streets and modern apartment buildings, owned mostly by the local elites. This episode in the history of Istanbul has conventionally been narrated as a careless – albeit necessary—case of urban modernization, often in relation to the similar and roughly contemporary destruction of city walls in European cities. In this article, I rather argue that the destruction of the city walls was actually framed as a project of heritage and knowledge production from the very start. I trace how the history of the Genoese Pera was produced in the popular and scientific circles amidst the destruction of its most important physical manifestation, by concentrating especially on the central role played by the municipal archivist Victor-Marie de Launay. Launay’s later collaborations with Osman Hamdi Bey are relatively well known, but his contributions to the history of the district and an early discourse on urban heritage and archaeology are underappreciated, and, I argue, critical to understanding how the ruins of the district’s past were instrumentalized in making of a space for historical expertise. Launay was a central figure in the emergent antiquarian and archaeological networks in the Ottoman capital in the second half of the nineteenth century, the scholarly output produced in these circles had a lingering effect on the modern history-writing of Pera that has conventionally underlined its “European” heritage at the expense of its Ottoman past.

Spa Center as the Economic Engine of the Municipal Business Ecosystem: Case of Banja Koviljača Organizational Network

This paper addresses the role of the Spa Health Resort as the Economic Engine of the Mu-nicipal Business Ecosystem. Usualy a single larger enterprise drives the local economy at the municipal level, and in the case of Serbia that company has often been from heavy in-dustries. For many transitional economies, local communities have been supported by the main municipal organization, identified in the literature under the terms economic engine, anchor, driver, powerhouse, catalyst, hub or lifeline. Most literature defines it as a compa-ny that plays a pivotal role in propelling municipal economic growth and development, acting as the source of economic stability and resilience within the municipality. Our re-search is based on dataset gathered from the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, extracted from the annual financial and business reports of 80,737 companies and sole entrepre-neurs in Serbia from 2013 to 2022 and supplemented by detailed insights into business reports of hypothesized economic engine. Our findings support the hypothesis that Spe-cialized Rehabilitation Hospital Banja Koviljaca's acts as economic engine for the region. Conclusion is that investment in balneo industry returns mutlifold benefits of different categories to the community and the state.

Co-design knowledge mobilization tools for universal accessibility in municipalities.

Modern research teams are re-evaluating conventional methods with the aim of improving the usefulness of knowledge for users, focusing on the role of knowledge users in shaping innovation. In disability field, encouraging participatory research inherently involves diverse perspectives and inclusion, which aligns with the principles of universal accessibility. By actively involving individuals with various backgrounds, abilities, and needs in the research process, we can better understand and address the challenges faced in adopting universal accessibility. This approach ensures that solutions are more comprehensive, inclusive, and effectively cater to the needs of all individuals, fostering a more equitable and accessible environment for everyone. Despite municipal organizations mandating universal accessibility action plans, they lack tools for efficient implementation. The aim of this study was to develop knowledge mobilization tools tailored to a specific municipal context in Quebec, Canada, to facilitate the implementation of universal accessibility measures by municipal employees. The co-design process employed in this study was organized into four distinct stages, following the Morales model: (1) Exploration (2) Co-Design (3) Validation (4) Development. Stages one and two highlighted the employees' lack of awareness about universal accessibility issues and their need to have more information and resources about how universal accessibility is encountered in their work. A steering committee co-designed three video vignettes about universal accessibility, the city's action plan and measures included in it. The co-design approach used in this study allowed us to observe the non-linear nature of partnership research with an organization as complex as a municipality. Our study shows significant advantages of collaboration between the municipal sector and research.

Pilot implementation and evaluation of the Sit-Stand e-Guide: an e-training program on the use of sit-stand workstations.

The 'Sit-Stand e-Guide' e-training program, designed to promote appropriate use of sit-stand workstations (SSWs), was evaluated for usability, acceptability and impact on various outcomes among SSW users. Participants from a large municipal organisation (25% male; mean age 45 [SD = 10.6] years) completed questionnaires pre-training (T0, n = 57), immediately post-training (T1, n = 50), and four weeks (T2, n = 46: primary endpoint) and twelve months later (T3, n = 30). High usability, acceptability and usefulness scores were reported at T1. Median [IQR] knowledge (4.4/5 [0.9]) and confidence (4.6/5 [1.0]) significantly increased at T1 compared to baseline (2.8 [1.2]; 3.3 [1.4]) and maintained at T2 and T3. At T2, mean [SD] sitting time (5.3 [1.2] h/workday) and low back discomfort (2.4 [2.3]) significantly decreased compared to baseline (6.1 [1.3] h; 3.4 [2.5] discomfort), SSW usage increased (1.4 [1.4]-2.8 [1.7] transitions), with no significant changes in work performance. Some behavioural changes were sustained at T3. The Sit-Stand e-Guide was acceptable and effective; evaluation across diverse workplaces and workers is now needed.

Public Control as a Tool for Combating Crime

The article is devoted to the analysis of the place and role of the institution of public control in the system of tools to combat crime. This institution of civil society is analyzed as the most important legal guarantee for the implementation, protection and defense of the system of constitutional principles in Russia, as well as the system of human and civil rights and freedoms, the rights and legitimate interests of numerous public associations and other non-governmental non-profit organizations. The authors substantiate the importance of the institution of public control in the Russian Federation as a tool for the prevention and suppression of crimes. At the same time, the role of this institution of civil society is particularly highlighted as a tool in the fight against corruption and other crimes committed by officials of public authorities, state and municipal organizations, and other bodies and organizations that exercise certain public powers on the basis of federal laws. The article formalizes and explores the main problems that impede the use of the institution of public control in the fight against crime in the Russian Federation, in particular due to: the lack of mention of this institution of civil society in the Basic Law of Russia; imperfect legislation on public control; weak powers of its subjects; removing from the scope of the Federal Law of dated of 21.06.2014 № 212-FL “On the Fundamentals of Public Control in the Russian Federation” the activities, acts and decisions of the majority of Russian law enforcement agencies, as well as types of public relations where there is a high crime rate; weak funding from the budgets of all levels of activities of subjects of public control; weak use of positive foreign experience of civil society institutions in the fight against crime; insufficient use of modern information and communication technologies. The authors have developed and justified a system of measures to resolve these problems, including by: incorporating public control into the Constitution of Russia; developing a system of federal laws devoted to the organization and implementation of public control in relation to the activities, acts and decisions of the country's law enforcement agencies; expanding the powers of subjects of public control; active use of foreign positive experience of civil society participation in the fight against crime; development of a system of federal programs for organizational, legal, financial, technical support for the institution of public control in Russia.

ParkLIV – engaging non-users in green space management

ABSTRACT Everyone has the right to feel welcome, safe and be able to access public green spaces without fear, anxiety or stress. However, the term “accessibility” is primarily used in relation to physical accessibility, while social and cultural dimensions of accessibility to urban public green spaces remains underexplored. Methods and tools for universal design and management that also meets the needs of marginalised groups, are needed. This requires involvement of both users and potential users through participatory methods, building on individual needs and perspectives. In Sweden, traditionally marginalised groups and non-users are rarely engaged in the development of public urban green spaces. Local governments may have the will, but lack resources and appropriate methods in order to do so. Research has recently described a further engagement of users as an unleashed potential in relation to planning and management of urban green spaces. Based on the study of three test beds and the use of public green space governance and management theory, we developed a process model for user participation in green space maintenance with focus on involving marginalised groups and non-users. The model balances what is theoretical optimal with what is practically feasible within the daily work of a municipal organisation. We present an empirically tested process model that can form the basis for future maintenance of urban green spaces, with the use of limited resources.

The Value of Local Self‑Government in the Process of its Interaction with the State: Constitutional and Legal Aspect

The local self-government reform in Russia in recent decades has gradually diverted this institution from the essence of its creation, embedding it in the vertical of state power under the image of public power. The 2020 constitutional amendments have only accelerated this process. The paper attempts to substantiate the need to preserve municipal power in the form that it was originally inherent in, being a prototype of the theory of a free community or at least dualism. The paper is based on the theoretical advances of scientists and the author’s insights, as well as on a number of issues of local importance, including land, tax, urban planning and other public relations. The author has attempted to show the need for local self-government at the present time, if the necessary vector of development is given to it by organizational and legal means. The increasingly expanding practice of delegating state powers and the introduction of a single-level system of territorial organization of municipalities plays a negative role in the issue under consideration. In order to overcome problematic trends, it is proposed to implement the existing institutions of municipal law in a new way, which will give positive results and for which there is a real demand from the population. Thus, people are reluctant to participate in various events related to mandatory face-to-face attendance, but actively vote for options for improving public space, do not want to be deputies of rural settlements, but help each other in difficult situations and go out on clean-up days, etc. The subsequent transformation of local self-government should be based on the needs of citizens, not the state.

USE OF GEOINFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR OPTIMISATION OF CITY MANAGEMENT

The study aims to answer how city halls and municipal departments of territorial communities can cope with numerous tasks related to providing city services. This issue is quite relevant in our time. As a solution, there has been a proposal to use geographic information systems (GIS) and a unified geodatabase to provide local governments, municipal organisations, and citizens access to reliable information about the urban area. This information has to be systematised, structured, and stored for efficient use. Experts suggest utilising a geodatabase as a primary tool for managing massive amounts of spatial information to solve these issues. The analysis shows that this is the direction that most European and American cities have chosen. As a result of the study, the authors propose the geodatabase structure for local-level urban planning documentation. It defines a set of objects, attributes, relations, and topology rules used to represent urban planning documentation in electronic form (in the form of a city GIS). Such an approach will allow for reliably storing all the diverse information necessary for the city’s life, analysing this information, and making the right management decisions. In this study, the authors analysed existing geographic information systems of some large cities. We defined weaknesses and strengths and found out based on which software products these city GIS were developed. Then, we proposed the main structural elements (layers) of the unified geospatial database of the city GIS that would ensure the solution of all issues related to the existence of a modern city. The authors prove that the combination of a clear structure of the geodatabase, convenience, and data relevance can determine the success of city GIS, making it a core tool for ensuring harmonious development and improving the quality of life in the city. Only such an approach will facilitate the creation of a technologically advanced urban environment that will meet the modern requirements and needs of citizens. Keywords: geoinformation technologies, geoinformation system, database, protection of historical heritage, urban planning.

An analysis of the non-financial motivation system of JSB “Almazergienbank” in order to increase the efficiency of personnel work

This article considers the system of non-financial motivation of personnel of Joint-Stock Commercial Bank “Almazergienbank”, a large regional bank by asset size, registered in the territory of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The key business lines are servicing corporate clients, municipal organizations and projects, attracting deposits and lending to individuals and legal entities. The relevance of this topic is due to the fact that in the conditions of fierce competition between organizations it is necessary to find ways to increase the productivity of employees. Improving the incentive system can be one of such ways. The purpose of the study is to determine the involvement of employees in the system of non-material motivation and to develop recommendations for improving the incentive system in the context of increasing the efficiency of work in the context of competition in the banking market. Intangible incentive, being a significant tool, allows to save resources and at the same time increase productivity and satisfaction of employees. The methodological basis of the research was a survey of bank employees, an analysis of the obtained data and the existing system of nonfinancial incentives. It was revealed that the most popular option for assessing the intangible incentive system among the respondents is the indicator “8”, which indicates incomplete satisfaction with the existing system. As a result of the study, recommendations were developed to improve the personnel incentive system in order to increase the efficiency of work in the competitive conditions of the banking market.

Characteristics and analysis of the Culture and Arts sector, specifically the Performing dance sector in Bulgaria

The culture and arts sector is often described as a "motor sector" in academic literature. Dance schools, within this sector, offer a unique blend of educational and artistic experiences to their clients, encompassing both instructional classes and the creation of original dance performances. However, cultural and arts organizations are not solely business-oriented but also play a significant role in shaping cultural identity and providing educational opportunities. In Bulgaria, there is a lack of a standardized system for accounting for the number of dance schools and cultural organizations. These entities range from private micro-organizations, such as sole proprietorships, limited liability companies, foundations, and associations, to state and municipal organizations, with the latter forming a small percentage of the sector. Statistical data about cultural organizations and their activities are fragmented and can be found in the annual reports of the National Culture Fund (NCF), registers of the Ministry of Culture, and data from the National Statistical Institute (NSI). This study highlights the complex dynamics within the Culture and Arts sector in Bulgaria, especially in the context of dance schools, and underscores the need for targeted efforts to rekindle public interest and engagement in dance arts.

Trust chains in public sector organizations and their significance for work unit performance and employee turnover intention

In this study, we propose that the concept of trust chains can be used to combine two influential traditions in organizational theory – Luhmann´s work on vertical trust and Putnam´s ideas on horizontal trust as a collective asset. Trust chains are then studied empirically by exploring how trust is assessed in the relationships between the employees in work units, the immediate managers, and the top management, including politicians and expert functions in a municipal organization. Aggregated data from questionnaires completed by 1,579 employees and their first-line managers in a Swedish municipality resulted in 126 work units. Cluster analysis identified five different configurations of trust chains with convergent and criterion validity. A solid trust chain with reciprocal links between employees in work units via layers of managers to the top management is clearly the most beneficial situation, while other configurations represent a variety of breaches, with less beneficial outcomes in terms of performance and turnover intentions.

The contribution of Dutch municipalities to stimulate smoke-free outdoor sports clubs: a qualitative study.

Local governments may play a key role in making outdoor sports clubs smoke free. This study aims to assess the activities, motives, challenges and strategies of Dutch municipalities regarding stimulating outdoor sports clubs to become smoke free. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 policy officers of different municipalities in the Netherlands. The included municipalities varied in terms of region, population size and degree of urbanization. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Municipalities stimulated sports clubs to become smoke free by providing information and support and, to a lesser extent, by using financial incentives. Motives of municipalities varied from facilitating a healthy living environment for youth, responding to denormalization of smoking and aligning with goals formulated in national prevention policy. Policy officers faced several challenges, including limited capacity and funds, a reluctance to interfere with sports clubs and little support within the municipal organization. These challenges were addressed by employing various strategies such as embedding smoke-free sports in a broader preventive policy, setting a good example by creating outdoor smoke-free areas around municipal buildings, and collaborating with stakeholders in the municipality to join forces in realizing smoke-free sports clubs. Municipalities demonstrated evident motivation to contribute to a smoke-free sports environment. Currently, most municipalities fulfil an informative and supportive role, while some municipalities still explore their role and position in relation to supporting sports clubs to become smoke free. Other municipalities have established, according to them, effective strategies.

Good Suggestion - But No! Innovation as the Struggle Between Different Roles and Perceptions in a Municipal Organisation

Collaboration has been increasingly recognised as a key for enhancing capacity, effectiveness, and spurring innovation in the public sector. The purpose of this paper is to study empirically how different perceptions and roles within an organisation handle a proposal from strategic management related to engaging a large municipality in collaboration with social entrepreneurs. The primary focus of attention is middle managers, as they stand out as a central counterpart to the administrative and political leadership. The data collection included in-depth interviews, observation and documents. An abductive analysis that combined empirical findings with theoretical insights showed that middle managers controlled positional and professional power bases, enabling them to block the formal lines of authority. The paper contributes to view innovation as a part of the struggle between different roles and perceptions within an organisation and to an explanation for the outcome resulting from different power bases.

Local management of the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway: a longitudinal interview study of municipality chief medical officers

Objective To explore the experiences and views of Norwegian Municipality Chief Medical Officers (MCMOs) on preparedness, collaboration, and organization during the COVID-19 pandemic to gain insight into local crisis management of value for future pandemic responses. Design Longitudinal qualitative interview study. We conducted semi-structured digital interviews with nine MCMOs working in different municipalities in Norway from September to December 2020. Five MCMOs were re-interviewed from January to April 2021. We used thematic analysis to analyze the data. Results Through the analysis, three major themes were identified in the material; 1) The view of preparedness changed from being low-priority and dormant to the desire to strengthen preparedness as a permanent measure; 2) The nature of the pandemic forced a change in internal and external communication and collaboration for the MCMOs towards direct dialogue, teamwork and digital networking; 3) The pandemic changed the role and position of the MCMO within the municipal organization. Although most MCMOs were given a leading role in the municipal pandemic response, some MCMOs experienced that they were not positioned to fully exercise their intended role. In our material, de-authorization of the MCMO role seemed to coincide with the increasing size and organizational complexity of the municipality. Conclusions The Norwegian pandemic response and outcome have been regarded as successful internationally. Although the MCMOs managed to implement flexible and quick responses facilitated by teamwork, dialogue, and joint sensemaking, they also identified several challenges and shortcomings of the Norwegian pandemic preparedness requiring organizational and financial changes to sustain future health system resilience.

Designing a Capacity-Building Organizational Model with a Grounded Theory Approach (Case Study: Municipalities of West Azerbaijan Province)

Objective: The purpose of this research is to design a capacity-building organizational model in the municipalities of West Azerbaijan Province. Methodology: This study was conducted using a qualitative research strategy, employing grounded theory and the Strauss and Corbin paradigm model, aiming to provide a comprehensive model for capacity building in municipal organizations. In this regard, semi-structured interviews were conducted using theoretical sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. In this study, data reached theoretical saturation after conducting 11 interviews. However, to ensure sufficiency, five additional interviews were conducted. Participants in the study were selected from university professors and individuals with management experience in municipal organizations. Data were collected during April to July 2022, with the permission of the participants recorded. The data were then transcribed and, after several readings, analyzed using MAXQDA10 software. After performing the three stages of open, axial, and selective coding, the final model was obtained by the researcher. Findings: The findings include the capacity-building organization as the central category, causal conditions (capacity-building manager and structure), contextual factors (capacity-building employees), intervening conditions (capacity-building culture), strategies (capacity-building policy), and consequences (outcomes for the organization, individual, and group) within the framework of the paradigm model. Conclusion: Each of these conditions and factors are composed of variables and categories that contribute to achieving the ultimate goal of the capacity-building organization in the municipalities.

Features of the demand for specialists in the labor market in the sphere of physical education and sports of the Russian Federation

The present investigation aims to evaluate the labor market indicators and qualitative characteristics of the need for specialists in the physical culture and sports industry of the Russian Federation. This study based on the analyze of official government statistics about staff persons in the physical culture and sports and data gathered from a questionnaire survey of organizations operating in the physical culture and sports in 59 regions of the Russian Federation. “Saint-Petersburg scientific-research institute for physical culture” (SPbNIIFK) carried out the survey in 2023 with the participation of 674 state and municipal organizations. The survey conducted using specialized software and a survey web service created by SPbNIIFK’s employees to collect, process, and analyze the data. The research revealed regional differences and indicators of the labor market with the identification of trends in demand for specific qualifications. The collected data may be used to support government and municipal management on personnel policy issues, to create suggestions for employers on attracting skilled personnel, inform job seekers and employees in the physical education and sports about trends in demand for various specialties, and to improve their market labor competitiveness.

Support for Collective Wellbeing: A Path to Providing Integrated Care in Rural Communities

Audience: The Connecting People and Community for Living Well (CPCLW) model aims to transform how health, social and community sectors in rural communities work locally to design, deliver, and implement services and supports so those in their community affected by dementia can ‘live well’. There is growing awareness in Alberta, Canada of the need for sectors to work together to support those in their homes and communities. This is especially important in rural communities where fewer resources exist. Multi-sector community teams were seen as a necessary part of this structure, so there was interest in understanding what supported their collective wellbeing, and how supporting it could sustain their ability to impact the wellbeing of those living in the community. The model offers a structure for teams to build and sustain their wellbeing. 
 Engagement and actions: This initiative partnered with five rural communities. Community team participants included individuals from the health care sector, non-profit organizations, community organizations, those with lived experience, and municipal organizations. Focus groups learnings provided insight into what contributed to collective wellbeing. Learnings, and a literature search informed development of a Wellbeing Guide, and iterations were tested by participating teams. A final version is being used by teams to identify priorities and develop a collaborative action plan. In conjunction with developing the Guide, a competency framework was developed and includes 10 competencies capturing skills, knowledge and behaviors required to work successfully in multi-sector teams.
 Results: Together, the components of the CPCLW model support individual and collective wellbeing and include provincial support; communities advancing local work; 10 core principles; Wellbeing Guide; Competency Framework. While information gathering is ongoing, results so far include identification of 10 contributors to collective wellbeing, and learnings from the teams’ experience using the Guide, and implementing the model. Key findings include a formal representation of prioritization, planning and implementation of activities; identification of key relationships; and illustration of local challenges that may need system and policy changes.
 Next steps: Broader work of this initiative includes understanding and supporting wellbeing of those in the community affected by dementia. Next steps include expanding the Guide to include other underserved populations. Work is underway to complete both a forecast and evaluative social return on investment of the model which will help illustrate its value in supporting wellbeing, and other social outcomes.
 Learnings: The CPCLW model shows promise in transforming how underserved groups in rural communities are supported to live well in their homes and communities for as long as possible. Learnings include: increased understanding of collective wellbeing of multi-sector teams; relationships are core to success; dedicated resources help achieve short and long term successes; collaboration in prioritizing, planning, and implementing actions is needed; support from a system level team contributes to the teams’ success and sustainability; the Wellbeing Guide can be useful to demonstrate impact of actions taken; and early indications of necessary system and policy changes. 

Local recycling and reuse of concrete and soil: The societal impact of double-loop learning from circular urban transformation projects

The article presents certain findings from a large European research and development project aiming to generate societal impact through multi-stakeholder collaboration based on circular economy principles in the built environment. In the project, eight apartment buildings were demolished, and recycled aggregate concrete was used to cast the foundation for a new city hall being constructed nearby. Additionally, excavated soil from the construction of the city hall was transported to the urban development site where apartment buildings had been demolished, and the excavated soil was used in the terrain for the new urban development in the area. The local reuse of excavated soil significantly reduced transport volumes as the soil would otherwise have been transported long distances out of the city. The primary impact of the project was the direct environmental effects associated with the local concrete and soil recycling. The secondary impacts were linked to improved coordination and management of circular construction projects in the municipality through knowledge and competences being developed during the project (single-loop learning). Finally, the project also created awareness in the municipal organisation about strategic and organisational changes needed to facilitate future circular construction projects (double-loop learning).

Coordination and complex policy problems – experiences of de-sectorized municipalities in Sweden

The article highlights the growing contradiction in public policies managing complex policy problems in political systems characterized as sectorized. Utilizing a case study, this article analyzes how Swedish municipalities have attempted to introduce alternative organizational models, replacing a sector-based model to improve coordination values. The local self-government in Sweden has traditionally been organized as a sector-based model, i.e., a political organization that consists of standing committees organized functionally with sector-based responsibilities. In the last two decades, several municipalities have introduced de-sectorized models motivated by arguments concerning coordination and producing seamless municipal services. The article aims to describe and analyze the introduction of de-sectorized models in Swedish municipalities. The most significant results of the analysis show: Firstly, 66 out of a total of 290 municipalities in Sweden have created de-sectorized municipal organizations since the end of the 1990s. Secondly, the de-sectorized organizations introduced imply that the number of elected representatives decreases significantly. The interviewed actors regard this as a negative democratic side-effect. Thirdly, the results of conducted interviews also indicate that the de-sectorized model enhances coordination values at an overall level and has the potential to create cost efficiency in administrative expenses. Finally, more research needs to bring forward analyses on how to introduce alternative political organizing to manage complex policy problems vis-a-vis an institutionalized system of local self-government.