Politics Of Local Government Research Articles

Women, welfare and local politics, 1880-1920: 'we might be trusted'

The New Poor Law, Female Agency and Feminism Poverty and Poor Relief in Lancashire and Bolton Preparing the Ground? Philanthropy, Public Services and Activism Fighting an Election Negotiating Power Making a Difference Feminism, the Politics of Local Government and Suffrage Brief Autobiographical Notes Written by Mary Haslam Diary Kept by Mary Haslam of Her Work as a Poor Law Guardian The Travel Diaries of Mary Haslam Women's Suffrage in Bolton Index.

Does Home Rule Overrule the State`s Role? An Analysis of Property Tax Administration in New York State

This essay analyzes the property tax system in New York State. Based on historical and comparative analyses of three critical factors in property tax administration-assessment standards, revaluation, and assessing units-this study reveals that the current property tax administration structure has deep roots in the "home rule" tradition in New York State, making it hard to achieve intradistrict equity in property tax burden for some assessing units. The study concludes that the state's lack of active role undermines public faith in the property tax system and in local governments. The state should not be overruled by the local government politics based on home rule.

The Politics of Local Government in Russia by Alfred B. Evans, Jr. , Vladimir Gel'man (review)

REVIEWS 379 Evans,AlfredB.Jr. and Gel'man,Vladimir(eds).7The Politics ofLocalGovernment in Russia.Rowman and Littlefield, Lanham, MD, Boulder, CO and Oxford, 2004. vii + 300 pp. Notes. Tables. Bibliography.Index. /57.oo. LocALgovernment in post-Soviet Russia has been a much neglected field of study,and it is this gap in the literaturethat this editedvolume aims to fill. In contrastto the Soviet period, where local self-governmentdid not exist, local autonomy was one of the fundamentalsof the 1993 Russian constitution.Yet, despitethis, local governmentand local democracyhave failed to take root in Russia. T7ePoliticsof LocalGovernment in Russiaexamines why this has happened . The volume is divided into three main sections.The firstsection looks at the historicalroots of local government in the zemstvo reformsof the late tsarist era. Successive authors grapple with the main issue underlying the developmentof local government,namely the balancebetween centralcontrol and local autonomy. Porterand Seregnynote the contradictionat the heartof the zemstvo movement, between the intention of centre to deconcentrate power in orderto retaincontrolover the localities,and the desireof society to pursue its own intereststhroughindependent activityand civic initiative.The balance between these opposing two forces in tsarist Russia was ultimately decided by the central authorities.Deason outlines how the conflicts within centralgovernmentand lack of ministerialconsensuson provincialreformleft local government in a no-man's land. Evans's contribution focuses on how scholars have re-evaluated the character of elected local government in the post-Soviet period. While Soviet scholars saw the emergence of zemstvos as part of the process of transforminga feudal monarchy into a bourgeois one, more recent studies have noted that the tsaristbodies of local government had a number of advantages, including greater independence and a higher degree of professionalism,over local government in both the Soviet period and in contemporary Russia. This has led to the revival of the myth of the 'democratic' zemstvo as an alternative path of development for local government. The second section looks at the politics of local reform from a national perspectivein post-Soviet Russia. Gel'man examines the influence of various groupingsat the federallevel on the institutionaldevelopmentof local government in the El'tsin era. He concludes that inconsistency in implementation has hinderedthe developmentof local governmentand has allowedindividual regional governments to diminish the status of government at the municipal and districtlevel. Young's chapter looks at the issue of the financing of local government, noting that, while post-Soviet reforms have concentrated on a societal mode of development, the federal government has failed to assign local government revenues sufficientto cover the responsibilitiesdelegated to it, leaving it dependent upon regionalgovernment.This fiscalsqueeze has left local governmentunable to operate properly. The thirdand final section is a more detailed analysisof local government. Slider looks at governor-mayorrelations in Russia and the means, legal or otherwise, used by regional governors to undermine an autonomously functioning local government and the ways in which mayors of larger towns and cities have attempted to fight back. Matsuzatobuilds on this analysis,proposing a typology of relationshipsbetween local and regional politics and using 380 SEER, 84, 2, 2006 five case studyregions,coming to the conclusionthat the growthof competent and independent local government has in fact been impeded where regional governmenthas proved competent. Brie uses the concept of 'machine'politics to analyse the dynamics of the Moscow City regime where Mayor Luzhkov successfullyutilized the power of the city government to fashion a winning voter coalition and construct alliances to prevent opposition from gaining power. The strength of this coalition and federal weakness enabled Moscow to pursue a privatizationprogramme significantlydifferentfrom that implemented at the federal level. While giving a useful insight into the dynamic of power in Russia's largest city, Moscow's special status as a subject of the RussianFederationmeans that it is partof the second tier of government,and it is debatablewhether it should be included in a book on local government. A more substantivecriticismof this book is not so much the content of its contributors'chapters, which are excellent, but the absence from the main body of the volume of work on the Putin era. While the editor's conclusion does go some way in correcting this omission, it seems probable that this volume will need updatingalmostimmediately.These criticismsnotwithstanding...

The Politics of local government in Russia

Part 1 Part I: Introduction Chapter 2 The Politics of Local Government in Russia: A Framework for Analysis Part 3 Part II: Historical Roots Chapter 4 The Zemstvo Reconsidered Chapter 5 Ministerial Conflict and the Politics of Zemstvo Reform, 1864-1905 Chapter 6 Contemporary Russian Scholars' Changing Views on Local Government in Late Tsarist Russia Part 7 Part III: Local Government and Post-Soviet Politics Chapter 8 Federal Politics Toward Local Government in Russia: The Process of Institution-Building Chapter 9 Institution Building of Local Self-Government in Russia: Between Legal Design and Power Politics Chapter 10 Local Budgets and Intergovernmental Finance in the Russian Federation Part 11 Part IV: Local Government in Russia's Regions Chapter 12 Governors vs. Mayors: The Regional Dimension of Russian Local Government Chapter 13 Regional Politics and Municipal Building: The Reshuffling of Local Chief Administrators in Russia, 1990-1996 Chapter 14 The Moscow Political Regime: The Emergence of a New Urban Political Machine? Chapter 15 Energy Development and Local Government in Western Siberia Part 16 Part V: Conclusion Chapter 17 Toward a New Politics of Local Government in Russia

Integrity Systems and Local Government

Australia's third sphere of government is local government, consisting of about 675 councils nationally, responsible for an average of 6 percent of total public sector expenditure (around $18 billion) annually. This article reviews key integrity issues confronting local government, based on experience in NSW and Queensland. Current issues confirm integrity to be a significant concern manifesting in a large variety of forms, both in council administration and in local government politics. A new generation of responses are increasingly tailored to recognising local government as a permanent, elected sphere of government, accounting directly to the public, while, supported by state regulators, individual councils also pursue better practice in the management of their own administrations.

The Politics of Local Government in Russia. Ed. Alfred B. Evans, Jr. and Vladimir Gel'man. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2004. viii, 300 pp. Notes. Index. Figures. Tables. $75.00, hard bound.

The Politics of Local Government in Russia. Ed. Alfred B. Evans, Jr. and Vladimir Gel'man. Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2004. viii, 300 pp. Notes. Index. Figures. Tables. $75.00, hard bound. - Volume 64 Issue 3

Fiscal conservatism versus local paternalism: divergent experiences of public housing decline in rural areas of England during the 1980s

This paper examines the differential response of two rural districts of England (Fenland and Waveney) to changes in council house provisioning in the 1980s. It is situated in a decade when major policy shifts in social housing policy were occurring at the national level with local governments devising new social housing strategies in response. Against a fast moving legislative background, the study examines the extent to which Stoker's categorisation of policy-making behaviour helps us to understand the diversity of policy-making influences at work in rural areas. In displaying a resentment of outside influence and a vision grounded in local considerations that offered minimal support for housing association activity, both Fenland and Waveney both exhibited attributes of what Stoker (The Politics of Local Government, second ed., 1991, Macmillan, London) called a ‘traditionalist’, Conservative stance. However, contrasts in the social housing policy of each authority over the decade revealed the limitations of this categorisation. In Fenland, pressures for housing growth led to increasing problems for those on low-incomes. Nevertheless, the District's social housing policy was dominated by fiscal conservatism and a reluctance to maintain financial support for either construction or the maintenance of council housing. By contrast, the social housing policies adopted by Waveney were characterised by a paternalistic desire to maintain a higher level of support for council housing combined with a more overtly critical attitude of central government policy. By identifying different dimensions of ‘traditionalist’ Conservative behaviour, the paper underscores the need for further studies on the role played by local leadership and key actors in policy-making processes.

Switching on POWER—Switching on SPACES: a South African woman in local government politics

I'd like to share my experiences as a councillor in the hope that it can start a broader, public sharing of women councillors' experiences. After all, isn't it only when we share and collectively reflect that we grow our understanding and are better able to define and redefine our world? Let's share, support and develop each other for deliberate gender advances.

The Politics of Local Government In Russia: The Neglected Side Of The Story

The Politics of Local Government In Russia: The Neglected Side Of The Story

The politics of local government in Russia: The neglected side of the story

In the 1990s the government of Russia made an ostensible commitment to radical reforms in local government. Ten years later, however; Russia's localities still lack serious autonomy. Why has the project of post‐Soviet municipal reform failed? This paper concentrates on the crucial role of two major factors: (I) political opportunities inherited from late‐Soviet period and (2) strategic choices of political actors in the post‐Soviet period. Post‐Soviet Russian reformers faced the task of reorganising Soviet local governments, which had been ineffective, unpopular, and subordinate to higher levels of power The political regime that emerged in Russia after 1993 was far from being democratic, and the development of local government in Russia was hampered by the restrictions on democracy imposed both by the center and the regions. Thus the unfavorable initial conditions of reforms in local government in post‐Soviet Russia have been reinforced by the unfavorable outcomes of the transition. Limited and inconsistent democratisation, ineffective marketisation, and the formation of a weak state have contributed to the crisis of local government. Finally, the paper considers the possible impact of local autonomy in Russia on national social, economic and political developments.

Urban liberalism in imperial Germany: Frankfurt am Main, 1866-1914

Debates about Liberalism in imperial Germany have focused almost exclusively on the national level. This book investigates liberal politics in local government; the only sphere in which liberals had direct access to power throughout Germany. Through the study of one of Germany's most progressive cities, Frankfurt am Main, Jan Palmowski examines more generally the processes of politicization and policy formulation at the local level. He argues that in Frankfurt as elsewhere, local affairs had become politicized not around 1900, as is generally assumed, but by the 1870s. Once in power, the liberals' concern for religion, social policy, and education, as well as their skilful use of fiscal policy shows that liberals in Germany were as sophisticated as liberals in Britain or France. Even in the face of an authoritarian state structure, German liberals received and made use of freedom for renewal and reform. German liberalism was not inherently weak. Instead, the crucial problem lay in the country's complicated federal structure, which made it impossible to transfer innovations from the local level to the state and national levels.

The Roles of Newspaper in Local Government Politics(<Special Emphasis I.Local Media and Politics>)

The Roles of Newspaper in Local Government Politics(<Special Emphasis I.Local Media and Politics>)

Urban Administration in Post-Soviet Russia: Continuity and Change in St Petersburg

In this paper institutional change in the former Soviet Union will be explored by focusing on local government politics and administration. The political turmoil in local government is examined as efforts are made to capture the ‘residual legitimacy’ of the Communist Party and to replace the latent functions of the Party in coordinating the complex structure of local government. It is demonstrated that the complex centralized structure of Soviet local government still exists. It is argued that the conflict between the mayor and the city soviet has at least partly been a turf battle over whether the mayor or the city soviet will assume functions previously performed by units of the Communist Party; that, although on the surface the administrative system has been significantly altered, some units are little changed from the Soviet period; and that policy responsibilities of city government are being shaped as they assume by default residual responsibilities from the republic government and as the effects of privatization are felt.

The Changing Politics of Local Government in Scotland

The Changing Politics of Local Government in Scotland

Local Government or Local Governance? - Gerry Stoker: The Politics of Local Government, London, Macmillan, 2nd edition, 1991, xvi + 303, paperback £10.99, hardback £35.00. - John Kingdom: Local Government and Politics in Britain, Hemel Hempstead, Philip Allan, 1991, xii + 282 pp., paperback £9.95. - John Gyford: Citizens, Consumers and Councils: Local Government and the Public, London, Macmillan, 1991,

Local Government or Local Governance? - Gerry Stoker: The Politics of Local Government, London, Macmillan, 2nd edition, 1991, xvi + 303, paperback £10.99, hardback £35.00. - John Kingdom: Local Government and Politics in Britain, Hemel Hempstead, Philip Allan, 1991, xii + 282 pp., paperback £9.95. - John Gyford: Citizens, Consumers and Councils: Local Government and the Public, London, Macmillan, 1991, x + 215 pp., hardback £35.00, paperback £9.99. - Jacqueline Barron: Gerald Crawley and Tony Wood: Councillors in Crisis: The Public and Private Worlds of Local Councillors, London, Macmillan, 1991, x + 227 pp., hardback £35.00, paperback £9.99. - Steve Leach and John Stewart: The Politics of Hung Authorities, London, Macmillan, 1992, vii + 243 pp., £45.00. - Richard Batley and Gerry Stoker (eds): Local Government in Europe: Trends and Developments, London, Macmillan, 1991, xvi + 239 pp., paperback £10.99, hardback £35.00. - Edward C. Page: Localism and Centralism in Europe: The Political and Legal Bases of Local Self-Government, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 1991, ix + 186 pp., £27.50. - Samuel HumesIV : Local Governance and National Power: A Worldwide Comparison of Tradition and Change in Local Government, Hemel Hempstead, Harvester/Wheatsheaf, 1991, xii + 307 pp., £40.00. - Michael Keating: Comparative Urban Politics: Power and the City in the United States, Canada, Britain and France, Aldershot, Edward Elgar, 1991, vii + 224 pp., £35.00. - Volume 27 Issue 4

Book reviews

State Restructuring and Local Power. A Comparative Persective. Edited by Chris Pickvance and Edmond Preteceille. Pinter. Pp. 229. £37.50. The Channel Tunnel: Public Policy, Regional Development and European Integration. By Ian Holiday, Gérard Marcou, and Roger Vickerman. Pp. 210. London: Belhaven Press, 1990. £32(hb). Gender Discrimination Law of the European Community. By Sacha Prechal and Noreen Burrows. Aldershot: Dartmouth Publishing Company, 1990. Pp. 351. £38. Local Government in Europe. Edited by Richard Batley and Gerry Stoker. London: Macmillan, 1991. Pp. 240. £35 hb; £10.99 pb. Images and Identities in Public Administration. Edited by Henry D. Kass and Bayard L. Catron. London: Sage, 1990. Pp. 266. £14.95. Breaking down the barriers; Women Managers in Local Government. By Ken Young and Liz Spencer. London and Luton: Local Government Management Board, 1991. Pp. 93. £20:00 (£10:00 to Local Authorities). Local Government Today. By J. A. Chandler. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1991. Pp. 251. £29.95 hb; £7.95 pb. The Scottish Government Yearbook 1991. Edited by Alice Brown and David McCrone. Edinburgh University Press, 1991. Pp. 277. £25.00 hb; £9.95 pb. The Politics of Local Government. By Gerry Stoker. London: Macmillan, 2nd edn., 1991. £9.99 pb. Emergency Management: Principles and Practice for Local Government. Edited by Thomas E. Drabek and Gerard J. Hoetmer. International City Management Association, 1991. Pp. 368. $27.95. Guide to Local Government Capital Finance. By R.E. Davy. Longman, 1991. £170. Also two updates per annum, £45 each.

Book reviews

The Politics of Local Government Since Widdicombe, Ken Young and Mary Davies, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, pp. v + 81, 1990, £5.50 (paperback). New Directions in British Politics? Essays on the Evolving Constitution, Philip Norton (ed.), Edward Elgar, pp. x + 181, £28.50 (hardback). Government, Evaluation and Change, Mary Henkel, pp. 256, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, 1991, £25.00 (hardback). Democracy, Bureaucracy and Public Choice, P. Dunleavy, Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1991, pp. xiii + 286, £10.95 (paperback). State Schools: A Suitable Case for Charity? Anne Mountfield, pp. 158, Directory of Social Change (Radius Works, Back Lane, London NW3 1HL), 1991, £9.95 (paperback). Police Practice in the ‘90s — Key Management Issues, James J. Fyfe, (ed.) International City, Management Association, Washington DC, pp. 174, 1989. Parish, Town and Community Councils ‐ A Guide to Law and Administration, Harold Clarke, pp. v + 153, Charles Knight Publishing, Croydon, 1991, £12.95 (paperback).

Book Reviews

Book reviews in this article: Whitehall. By PETER HENNESSY. Organizing the Presidency. By STEPHEN HESS. Inside the Think Tank: Advising the Cabinet, 1971–1983. By TESSA BLACKSTONE and WILLIAM PLOWDEN. The Postmodern President: The White House Meets the World. By RICHARD ROSE. Private Power and Centralization in France: The Notaires and the State. By EZRA N. SULEIMAN. The Changing Politics of Local Government. By JOHN GYFORD, STEVE LEACH and CHRIS GAME. Constitutional Dialogues: Interpretation as Political Process. By LOUIS FISHER. Taming the Prince: The Ambivalence of Modern Executive Power. By HARVEY C. MANSFIELD, JR.

Book reviews

The Changing Politics of Local Government, John Gyford, Steve Leach and Chris Game, Unwin Hyman, 1989, pp. xii + 37., £10.95 (paperback). British Regionalism 1900–2000, edited by Patricia Garside and Michael Hebbert, pp. 190, Mansell, 1989, £30.99. Land Use Planning and the Mediation of Urban Change. The British planning system in practice, Patsy Healey, Paul McNamara, Martin Elson and Andrew Noak, Cambridge University Press, 1988, pp. 295., £30,00 ($54.50), (hardback). Putting People First: Voluntary Organizations and the Third World Development, edited by Robin Poulton and Michael Harris, pp. 178, Macmillan, 1988, £7.50 (paperback). Accounting for Public Policy: Power, Professionals and Politics in Local Government, David Rosenberg, pp. 268, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 1989, £30.00. Contemporary British Politics: An Introduction, Bill Coxall and Lynton Robins, Macmillan, 1989, pp. xiv + 563. £20.00 (hardback), £6.95 (paperback). An Introduction to Public Sector Management, Edited by Ian Taylor and George Popham, Aston University, Unwin Hyman, 1989, pp. 207., £8.95 (paperback). Government Restructuring of Vocational Education and Training 1981–1987: Local Autonomy or Dependence, Charlie Mason, School for Advanced Urban Studies, Bristol, 1988. Planning: The Irish Experience, 1970–1988, edited by Michael J. Bannon, Wolfhound Press, Dublin, 1989, pp. 220, £20.00. (£9.95, paperback). Information Technology and How to Use It, Robert Hinton, Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, pp. 186., £30.00. Paying for Performance in the Public Sector, IDS and Coopers and Lybrand, 1989.

Reviews: Housing America in the 1980s, the Changing Structure of American Banking, Ecological Economics: Energy, Environment and Society, Local Government Finance: International Perspectives, Public Health and the Environment: The United States Experience, Housing and Social Change in Europe and the USA, Land and Housing Policies in Europe and the USA: A Comparative Analysis, Village Revolts: Social Protest and Popular Disturbances

Reviews: Housing America in the 1980s, the Changing Structure of American Banking, Ecological Economics: Energy, Environment and Society, Local Government Finance: International Perspectives, Public Health and the Environment: The United States Experience, Housing and Social Change in Europe and the USA, Land and Housing Policies in Europe and the USA: A Comparative Analysis, Village Revolts: Social Protest and Popular Disturbances