Local Government Reform Research Articles

The effects of fiscal decentralisation on local finances after the territorial reform of local government in 2015 in Albania.

The effects of fiscal decentralisation on local finances after the territorial reform of local government in 2015 in Albania.

The effects of fiscal decentralisation on local finances after the territorial reform of local government in 2015 in Albania

The effects of fiscal decentralisation on local finances after the territorial reform of local government in 2015 in Albania

Политико-правовое администрирование на юге Западной Сибири и в Северном Казахстане в XIX в

Introduction. The relevance of the topic of the article is determined by its poor study in historical and legal sciences. Purpose. The paper examines the issues of political and legal administration in Northern Kazakhstan and in the south of Western Siberia. Methodology. The theoretical and methodological basis of the article is based on the principles of theoretical and historical legal knowledge - historicism and objectivity, based on a critical attitude to sources, as well as unbiased approaches to the analysis of the topic under study. Results. Local government reforms implemented in the region in the nineteenth century. they remained unchanged until the revolutionary upheavals of 1917. They had a progressive character and strengthened friendly and good-neighborly relations between the Kazakh and Russian peoples. Conclusion. Carrying out the political and legal incorporation of Northern Kazakhstan with other parts of the empire, the Russian supreme power made the transition from traditional custom-based management to a new bureaucratic administration, extending modern legislation and departmental management to the region.

Does municipal amalgamation affect trust in local politicians? The case of Norway

When municipalities merge, they grow and, at the same time, experience a comprehensive reform process, both of which may affect political trust. We explore whether and how the large-scale municipal amalgamation reforms in Norway in the 2010s affected citizens’ trust in local and national elected officials and assemblies. We examine the effects of both changes in size and reform processes using survey data on trust in local and national political officials and assemblies before, and at the time, of the merger. In contrast to studies conducted in Denmark, we do not find evidence that the Norwegian Local Government Reform had significant negative effects on political trust. We argue that this difference between Denmark and Norway can be explained by differences in how the two reform processes were implemented.

The constitutional nature of local self-government

The relevance of the study lies in the importance of the functioning of local self-government bodies for ensuring democracy in European countries. The purpose of the study is to examine the constitutional foundations of the institution of local self-government, and the task of the study is to analyse the role of the European Charter in this process. The following methods were used in the study: induction, deduction, and abstraction. The main conclusion of the study is to argue that the European Charter launched a local government reform aimed at improving the efficiency of local governments as an independent level of public authority, as close to the population as possible. However, today, municipal authorities in many countries are fundamentally different from those that were created in previous years. This is primarily due to the lack of the necessary amount of own revenues to enable them to exercise their powers independently. The majority of municipalities need government assistance and intergovernmental transfers. The need to control the expenditure of state budget funds has led to the main trend in the development of local selfgovernment in the Republic of Azerbaijan being its integration into the vertical of public power.

Reviving Public Service Delivery at the Grassroots through Public-Private Partnership in Nigeria’s Fourth Republic

The paper examines the performance of local governments in Nigeria with special reference to their service delivery responsibilities. Local government is described as a veritable instrument of socio-economic development at the grassroots and it was for this purpose that it became constitutionally recognised as a level of government through the 1976 Local Government Reform. However, the capacity of the Nigerian local governments to carry out responsibilities assigned to them has been jaundiced by the unbridled attack on their finances by higher public authorities, particularly state governments. Specifically, local governments’ share of revenue from the federation account and other sources of revenue have regrettably been annexed by the state governments, thereby reducing local authorities to governments on papers only. Using the secondary sources of data, the article examines how local government service delivery responsibilities can be resuscitated through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. The paper revealed general absence of standard framework for the adoption of PPP to tap into the available huge private investment for public service delivery at the grassroots. The paper recommends active collaboration of the stakeholders in grassroots development toward developing a standard framework for PPP to restore the status of Nigerian local governments as primary providers of public services.

Local Government Reforms and the Changing Roles of Traditional Institutions in Nigeria

Of all the contesting issues in Nigeria today, the relevance of the traditional institutions in the modern administration is observed. Traditional institutions have been in existence as the demi-gods before the advent of capitalism, but gradually phased out with the coming of the white man and the subsequent local government reforms. It is in the light of the above that more light will be thrown to examine whether local government reforms have diminishing effect on the functions and relevance of the traditional institutions. The paper examines the role of traditional institutions with Nigeria democracy. The article contends that traditional institutions in today’s democracy are face majorly with the problem of constitutional recognition and not of relevance. Overtime, traditional institutions played a crucial role in the pre-colonial and colonial phases of Nigeria history. The study interrogates the contending perspectives of the Traditionalist and modernist school of thought as regards the position of traditional institutions in modern democracy. The study also examines the various means through which traditional institutions remain relevant in Nigeria democratic space by having considerable influence and play active role in the political administration and electoral process at of tiers of government. In conclusion, the study identified the various process through which traditional institution can contribute to the sustainability of democracy in Nigeria such as conflict resolution process, spread of development and democratic dividends and viable instrument for democratic peace.

Community assessment of public services and its role in decision-making for local development

This study aims to highlight the perception of residents about public services provided by the local government and residents’ perception of participation in public decision-making for the allocation of economic resources by the local government. The research method in this study is based on the study of literature, analysis, and monitoring carried out by independent institutions and organizations on community participation in local government decision-making (Desk research) and observation through interviewing residents in the area of study for the collection of primary data. The results of this study show the fragility of the approach of community involvement in local government for local planning and development in the study area. The improvement of public services and the active participation of residents in local planning and development is one of the most important objectives of local government reform. Efforts for sustainable development, referring also to the data of this study, should be accompanied by efforts to build and consolidate the community field.

Development of land relations in the context of local government reform

This scientific work analyzes the main features and problems of the development of land relations in the context of local self-government reform. It was found that today land relations are progressing extremely actively, which in turn requires effective changes in the field of decentralization, which will provide additional opportunities for their potential development and improvement. The interpretation of the modern concept of “land relations” is also given. It has been established that the concept of “land relations” should be understood as relations between the state, society, as well as business, which are formed in the process of realization of ownership, use and protection of land resources. It has been studied that relations regarding land resources play one of the main roles in society and the state in general. The powers of local state administrations and local self-government bodies in the field of land relations have been revealed. It was found that the resources of the territorial community should include relevant renewable objects of administration, including location space, greenery, natural minerals, which have some monetary value and in turn can be involved in certain processes of production of specialized products or provision of services, and, as a result, further increase the income of the territorial community. The main shortcomings in the domestic system of state control in the field of land relations are revealed, and the most important problems of land relations in the context of local self-government reform are identified. It has been established that the main direction of active reform of local self-government takes place precisely in the sphere of increasing the powers of relevant bodies in terms of the practical formation of ownership rights to land resources, the comprehensive development of land relations, as well as the implementation of strict control over the quality of use of land resources and granting the population the right to extended rights regarding the control and protection of land resources. The specified measures will be able to ensure the effectiveness of the development of the territory, preserve the quality of land resources, significantly increase the flow of funds to the local budget and improve the level of social well-being.

Fiscal decentralization in the nude: Discursive struggles and the stalling of its implementation in Jamaica

Despite an apparently promising start, the decentralization of property tax in Jamaica has never really progressed, nor yet been abandoned. Why is this? This paper adopts a discourse theory perspective to answer these questions. It primarily takes cues from a case study of the Portmore Municipality Council, which was tasked by Jamaica’s central government to implement fiscal decentralization. The initiative was intended to pave the way for further local government reforms in the country in line with new public management (NPM) principles, but something different happened. We conclude that several influential signifiers and signifieds were linked with fiscal decentralization. Mobilized in various politically motivated and overlapping discourses, these served different interests and attracted shifting groups of supporters and contenders, and gradually halted fiscal decentralization. The signifiers and signifieds pertained to NPM, participation, local and central government commitment, entrenchment,11This is the process of legally embedding local government into Jamaica’s constitution. Thereby, it is intended that local government becomes a permanent and protected feature within the Jamaican political landscape. councilors’ lack of skills, nepotism, corruption, and the need for a “fix” for decentralization to progress. They were part of a larger palette of discourses relating to central government power, globalization, and societal and economic progress. The discourses in question made it impossible to abandon fiscal decentralization entirely, because they continued to be in line with the Jamaican political elite’s professed take on NPM, and helped to attract IMF funding.

Decentralisation by military regimes and challenges to citizen participation: an empirical reflection from Pakistan

It is often assumed that in developing countries there is a substantial link between the local governments and community participation. However, what is hardly ever highlighted is what happens when an authoritarian government uses decentralisation reforms to strengthen its power, interfering with not only public development but also the international community. On that account, this study argues that if an authoritarian regime focuses on using elaborate façades of representative institutions such as local government reforms rather than trusting the persuasive force of representative institutions, the local governments of a non-democratic centralised state will have similar authoritarian policies towards civic engagement. The study was based on fieldwork research and the data obtained from the responses to seventy qualitative questionnaires with seven open-ended questions in two districts of Sindh. The findings suggest that the various local governments of Pakistan acted as a medium of recentralisation and created alienation instead of bringing the marginalised communities closer to local power. This article shows that if local governments are used by an authoritarian regime with the purpose of misleading the international community and stifling development, such a system will create alienation between the state and the ordinary citizens.

Local Leadership During the Territorial Amalgamation Process – The Case of Latvia

Purpose: The article aims to present evidence of the role of the mayors in the territorial amalgamation process, focusing on their relationship with voters and other stakeholders and on the transformation processes experienced by local governments. Given their status as the highest-ranking officials enjoying voters’ and deputies’ support, mayors play an essential role in either implementing or, on the contrary, impeding local government reforms. As they have the power, knowledge, and expertise to influence the implementation of local government reforms, it becomes essential to evaluate their role.Design: The article examines the role of mayors in local government reforms, particularly in the context of the recent territorial amalgamation reforms in Latvia. Through a literature review and analysis of results from the recent amalgamation, the article explores the complex relationships that mayors have with other stakeholders and the transformation processes within their respective local governments.Findings: The study highlights the importance of mayors in providing effective leadership during reform initiatives and the potential implications for their reputation and electoral outcomes. The results show that mayors primarily use media, public consultations, public letters, and even the possibility of resignation to influence the territorial amalgamation process.Academic contribution to the field: While there has been research on territorial amalgamation, the role of the mayor is often overlooked, especially in a top-down initiated process where, despite its features, the mayor still possesses the tools to shape the course of the territorial amalgamation process. The article presents the reform experience in Latvia as a small state.Value: This research provides valuable insights into the role of mayors in the territorial amalgamation process in Latvia and its implications for local government reform. The findings contribute to the existing literature by comprehensively analysing the mayor’s influence on the reform agenda and implementation strategies.
 

The marginality trap. Deconstructing the administrative framework for a reform of local governance: The case of Calabria between top‐down and bottom‐up dynamics

AbstractThe region of Calabria, already at the Union of Italy in 1861, and even more so at the institution of the Republic (1948), was among the poorest and most marginal regions not only of Italy but also of the European Union. Despite the numerous funding policies active to de‐marginalize the area at both the national and European scale [currently, mainly European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF); up until 1992 mostly the Extraordinary Intervention for the Mezzogiorno], there has not been a significant improvement or change in this tendency. In this paper, through a processual approach based on historical and geographical literature, I examine the position of the administrative framework of the region as a possible codetermining factor of such a condition of peripheralization, trying to assess whether and how a careful reform of it could improve the potential of current de‐marginalization policies. Ultimately, starting with the reconstruction of the numerous factors leading to Calabria's marginality, this study highlights the dynamic and relevant role of the framework in a perspective of the development and valorization of the area.

Financial and Structural Prospects of Local Government Reform in Russia

The reform of local self-government (LSG), which started over 30 years ago, has not been completed at the moment, and the regulatory and legislative activities of Russian deputies to bring legislation into line with the new version of the country's Constitution are in progress. From the point of view of the impact on the state of local self-government, it is important to consider the impact of constitutional amendments regarding the exclusion of the mandatory settlement basis of the organization of local self-government on the prospective structure of the LSG; and also to assess the potential financial implications for municipal budgets and local self-government in general of the idea of embedding local self-government at the third level in the system of public authority. It is shown that the issue of the structure of the LSG and the economic feasibility of the consolidation of municipalities remains poorly developed. The paradox is that the need to assess the progress and results of the merger of municipalities not only with qualitative arguments, but also with quantitative calculations, is generally recognized, but there is currently no quantitative assessment of the effectiveness of the merger of municipalities in Russia, as in most foreign countries. The analysis of the reform transformations of the LSG and the improvement of regulatory and legislative acts regarding the regulation of the LSG of Russia has shown that local self-government, formally remaining an institution of public authority, in practice turns into “public administration within municipal borders”, known since Soviet times. The situation is complicated by the denunciation of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, implemented by the State Duma on the proposal of President Vladimir Putin in February 2023. The scientific novelty of the work consists in substantiating theoretical and practice-oriented proposals for improving the structural and financial components of the reform.

Conditional support from below? Understanding the dynamics of municipal amalgamation preferences among local politicians

ABSTRACT Municipal amalgamations are commonly undertaken with promises of scale effects. But territorial reforms also invoke issues of local identity and democracy, which may be negatively impacted by upscaled local government. This article explores how these frames play out as drivers of amalgamation preferences among local representatives. Utilizing survey data of Norwegian local politicians during the 2014–2020 Local Government Reform, this article shows that local politicians are more likely to support amalgamation when prioritizing and supporting functional scale considerations. Conversely, they are less likely to support amalgamation when invoking issues of local belonging, democracy, and citizens’ influence. But these attitudes are not static. Sources of support and aversion towards amalgamation are at times conditional; the characteristics of the municipality, the individual's status in the local political environment, and the views of the population may both enhance and weaken the degree to which functional or communitarian frames are rallied to support or oppose amalgamation.

Some ideas for a post-war recovery of Ukrainian cities

The author gives a short overwiev of ”Military Operations in Urban Terrain” (MOUT) as known from history, especially from World War II, especially in Kyiv and Budapest. Some reflections on history and actual state of civil defence follow. After an overwiev of actual Ukrainian local government reform and planning legislation, a description of desirable legilatvie and financial action for the post-war time are described. A sort of ”Marsahll Plan” including the relevant institutions, and measures in the field of urban development, especially renewal, organisation of authorities, safeguarding plans, reallocation of property rights and - perhaps - betterment levy will be needed. Strategic environmental assessment should be introduced in acordance with EU legislation.

Public Perception of the Hungarian Local Government Reform

Following a change of government in 2010, the Hungarian local government system underwent a period of significant transformation. The question of how it is viewed and the effects it may have are currently being debated. The centralising effort of the government had already become clear beyond a shadow of a doubt before the adoption of the Cardinal Act or the Fundamental Law (2011) itself. This was followed by the steps of the local government reform, which transferred many local government powers to the state. Municipalities lost influence over local public education institutions, municipal hospitals and many other areas. In this situation, where there was a significant loss of influence by local elites, it became an interesting question to what extent this changed society’s relationship with local government. Our comprehensive research has conducted a number of quantitative and qualitative studies to answer this question. Between 2016 and 2018, our research group had the opportunity to conduct four empirical studies to assess knowledge, attitudes and opinions related to local government. This paper presents and interprets the results of this research, and an important area of public attitudes towards local government, in particular with regard to the division of responsibilities between the state and municipalities.

Local Government Reform: Processes, Problems, Paradoxes

Local Government Reform: Processes, Problems, Paradoxes

ГОРОДСКОЙ ГОЛОВА: РЕТРОСПЕКТИВА В КОНТЕКСТЕ СЕМЕЙНОЙ ПЕРЕПИСКИРЕЦЕНЗИЯ НА КНИГУ: МАРГАРИТА АГЕЕВА. УФИМСКИЙ ГОРОДСКОЙ ГОЛОВА АЛЕКСАНДР МАЛЛЕЕВ:ИСТОРИЯ В ПИСЬМАХ. УФА: ИНФОРМРЕКЛАМА, 2020. 448С.: ИЛ.

The new book by Margarita V. Ageeva presents the family correspondence of the Ufa mayor A.A. Malleev and studies his biography. The epistolary finding and the specific historical context of the story introduce different aspects of the history of urban administration and the everyday life of the provincial nobility in the late 19th – early 20th centuries. The book has become an original contribution to regional historiography, and its author has revised some of the conclusions of his predecessors, based on a metahistorical narrative. Information about the origin and genealogical relations of the family surname sheds light on the formation of the official elite in the eastern provinces as a result of the industrial development of the region in the 18th century and the reforms of local government and the court system in the post-reform period. The epistolary material recreates a portrait of personal qualities of the modernizers and testifies to the formation of new personnel in the provinces – the carriers of a genuine democratic culture. The author analyzes the influence of ethical views of officials on managerial decision-making as a central problem poorly developed in institutional history. The author traced it on the example of the events of the 1905 revolutionary crisis in Ufa. The discourse of private correspondence contains a lot of valuable evidence on the family life of the Malleevs, their religious identity and methods of raising children, on cultural and everyday life of the urban elite of a provincial town. The style and spelling of the letters, as well as the turns of phrase and the accepted spelling of certain words at that time, have remained unchanged, which increases the value of the source. The literal capture of the smallest details of everyday history make the book a practical tool for museum workers, fashion historians and other professionals.

Fiscal Decentralisation and Local Government Reform: Adaptation in Ukraine Experience of Poland and Lithuania

An effective local government system is one of the basic platforms for the functioning of the country in crisis conditions and the key to a successful post-war recovery of the economy at all levels. Studying the experience of European countries, primarily neighboring countries, greatly facilitates the construction of an optimal model of such a model. The article analyzes the fiscal innovations of Poland in detail, taking into account the identity of the administrative-territorial system and the identity of the formation of local self-government bodies. The indisputable advantage of the introduction of innovative fiscal regimes (Estonian СIT) for the economy of Poland has been established. The conclusions are convincingly illustrated by the dynamics of Poland's GDP growth and the rankings of Poland and the Baltic countries in the world rankings of tax capacity. The study of the experience of Lithuania in the field of reforming the territorial organization of power, carried out in the article, led to the ascertainment of revolutionary phenomena introduced by the neighboring country during both stages of administrative reform. Namely: the presence of a financial self-control mechanism implemented at the sub-regional level and an exceptional example of the delegation of powers from local self-government to a territorial unit managed by a civil servant (and not vice versa). Effective recommendations on borrowing Polish and Lithuanian experience and adapting it to modern conditions of Ukraine's development have been provided. It was established that dialogue with local civil society is the driving force behind the effectiveness of local self-government reform measures. This feature should be used by Ukraine during the completion of the process of reforming local self-government.