Small Local Governments Research Articles

Determinants of Small and Rural Local Governments’ Renewable Energy Program Adoption in Cascadia

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the determinants of renewable energy policy adoption by small and rural local governments in Cascadia. Background: Small and rural local governments currently face many ongoing and numerous new challenges that complicate their task of sustaining current public services and programs. How government officials adapt to these changes can affect the long-term viability of local governments in both the U.S. and Canadian contexts. Objective: This study has examined the presence or absence of renewable energy programs in small and rural local governments in the “Cascadia” region of Canada and the U.S. (British Columbia, Oregon, and Washington). Methods: Using surveys and interviews of Cascadia local government leaders during the summer and fall of 2023, correlates of renewable energy policy adoption have been examined, including cultural, demographic, economic, and political factors. Results: Key findings have indicated cities, experiencing population growth, and those with a progressive political orientation to be more inclined to adopt renewable energy policies. Conversely, remote communities have demonstrated a lower propensity for such adoption. Financial constraints, evidenced by the impact of inflation and the necessity for service cutbacks, have been found to negatively correlate with the consideration of renewable energy policies. Conclusion: This study has indicated renewable energy projects to be more often found or contemplated in areas being politically liberal, densely populated, and not predominantly rural. It could be beneficial in shifting the perception of renewable energy from being predominantly an environmental concern to being recognized for its economic benefits.

The financial sustainability of public services as an instrument to combat depopulation in small and medium-sized municipalities

Previous research identified influencing factors in sustainability of public services but exclusively in large local governments, despite the fact that depopulation is currently a serious problem that affects rural areas of many European countries. However, despite that >80 % of European municipalities have fewer than 5000 inhabitants, more work is needed on the factors influencing the financial sustainability of small local governments, that are being greatly affected by the loss of population. This study identifies influencing factors in the financial sustainability of local governments of different population sizes. We analyse the behaviour of 3625 Spanish municipalities during 2009–2017. Our findings are useful for public managers interested in promoting the financial sustainability of small municipalities as an instrument to fight against depopulation and prevent effects of economics crisis in small and medium municipalities.

인구감소 지역의 지방소멸 대응 전략 방안 연구

In this study, government policies and local government policies were identified, focusing on the biggest factors of population movement, and solutions were sought through problems. Through prior research, the problems of government policies and projects related to the most influential factors, ‘economic problems’, were classified into four main categories: uniform budget investment, abstract policies and regulations, misuse of local extinction response funds, unrealistic regulations on local specialized visas, and the operation of the Special Act on Support for Population Reduction Areas. Based on this, four measures to respond to local extinction reflecting the projects and policies of Jangsu-gun were proposed: improvement of local-specific visas, support for settlement of long-term returning home and the elderly, establishment of unified youth standards in the province, and creation of a long-term living population start-up camp. There is a desperate need for policies and alternatives that can be implemented in small local governments, which are areas with reduced population, and practical measures that can be sustainable for current projects and policies were prepared. In the era of local extinction, a detailed tweezers policy that will overcome the decline and crisis of existence of the local economy due to population decline is presented as a ‘long-lived model’.

An innovative and meaningful scaffolded curriculum approach to Environmental Health education in Western Australia

There has been a critical shortage of qualified Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) both globally and in Australia that has plagued the profession for decades. At Edith Cowan University (ECU), Perth, Western Australia, an undergraduate degree in Environmental Health (EH) was developed in 2006, however, viability was problematic, and the course was under threat of closure. In 2016 both the EH and occupational safety and health (OSH) majors were due for re-accreditation and since there was significant overlap between the two courses both majors were revised and combined into one (Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety). This new qualification has subsequently been accredited by Environmental Health Australia (EHA), as well as the Australian OHS Education Accreditation Board (AOHSEAB) and the British Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). The new dual accredited course has had excellent graduate outcomes and provides graduates with the flexibility to move between traditional OHS and EH roles. In some smaller local governments, and in industry, ECU graduates have been employed to work in both roles. The curriculum was developed in consultation with industry and has an embedded year-long diploma course that consists of eight units (subjects/courses) that prepare graduates to work in a support role to EHOs. The Diploma of Environmental Health course is a scaffolded course that is embedded in the degree, and it has been recognized by the State Government as a qualification leading to appointment as authorized officers under the Public Health Act 2016 (WA). The diploma is more than a pathway course as it is a stand-alone qualification that leads to gainful employment. Most students now enroll in the diploma, initially and gain employment as a Technical Officer, and then progress on to complete the EH degree on a part-time basis while employed in the profession. The diploma is also an exit option for students who struggle with the academic requirements of some of the more traditionally difficult units such as physics, chemistry, and statistics and the EH degree is now a viable university course with excellent graduate employment outcomes.

AI as a Budgeting Tool: Panacea or Pandora’s Box?

Local government officials are consistently tasked with doing more with less. The combination of fiscal institutions, devolution of fiscal federalism, voter frustration, and economic shocks have been the leading causes of these more recent challenges. However, the reality is that smaller local governments, by their very nature, struggle with service provision. This paper explores the next evolution of change to local governments – artificial intelligence (AI), specifically ChatGPT – and its potential for local governments. We discuss the use of AI in budgeting, with a focus on financial data management and statistical analysis, including forecasting and policy recommendations for a small Nebraska municipality. Our experience with ChatGPT highlights its powerful capabilities for data processing. Transitioning to ChatGPT-4 from ChatGPT-3.5 (with or without Python) improved data processing efficiency but introduced financial costs, and we observed that the use of detailed and precise prompts enhances output quality across all versions. Achieving a balance between time, cost, data preparation, and prompt precision is crucial for optimizing the potential of ChatGPT in financial data analysis.

Determinants of Financial Reporting Quality: Evidence from Local Governments in Sumatera Island

This study aims to investigate determinants of financial reporting quality (FRQ) local government in Sumatera Islands, Indonesia. The FRQ local government is proxied by audit opinion from the Indonesian Supreme Audit Board (ISAB) for each local government sample. The tested independent variables are capital expenditure, characteristics of local governments (size, financial independency, and local government status), and mayor’s characteristics (experience and age). Data were obtained from the summary of semester audit results of ISAB, official website of the ministry of finance and the local governments in Sumatera Island. Total samples are 143 local governments and the period of study is 5 years (2016 – 2020, or 715 observations). Using the multinomial logistic regression, this study found that a lower ratio of capital expenditure, smaller local governments, local government in city areas, and local governments led by older and experienced mayor are associated with higher financial reporting quality. This study also uncovered that mayor education level and mayor graduated from the Institute of Public Administration (or IPDN) have positive influence of financial reporting quality of the local governments.

Future‐proofing a local government authority for a post‐mining future

AbstractThe inevitable mine lifecycle sequences of the mining industry and the eventual closure of mines has dramatic impacts on mining communities. The complexities of mine closure and planning for a different future beyond mining demand prescient preparation, preferably long before mines close, to optimise community participation in planning and enhance change management opportunities. Convincing others of the usefulness of imagining a future that is so different from the status quo is challenging, and it is especially difficult bringing an entire community on a long‐term planning journey. The Shire of Coolgardie, a small Western Australian local government authority, has embarked on a long‐term mission to build economic and social resilience, shoring up funds that will assist the Shire to ride out the inevitable mine lifecycle sequences of and diversify its income bases. This article builds an evidence‐based approximation of the economic and social benefits of the initiatives accrued across the Shire, outlining the calculated risks taken by the Shire in its quest to ultimately reorient the local economy to one less dependent on mining income and employment. The article concludes with lessons learned and a discussion regarding the replicability of the successful initiatives for other local government authorities elsewhere, particularly in Australia where the legislative restrictions to generate own‐source revenues are so severely limiting.

Effect of intergovernmental transfers on income and poverty rates: Evidence from the Philippines

Despite that subnational governments are key actors in the provision of public services, there are concerns about whether providing additional funding to them in developing countries can raise the living standards of local communities. This study investigates the impact of intergovernmental transfers on development outcomes at municipality and city levels in the Philippines from 1994 to 2015. Since the revenue-sharing mechanism between central and local governments in the Philippines follows a pre-determined formula, we leverage this feature and apply the instrumental variable (IV) method for estimation. Our results suggest that the household disposable income per capita increases by 9.6% in the long run due to extra transfers of 1,000 pesos per capita in the Philippine local governments. The poverty rate has also decreased by approximately five percentage points in the long run. The improvement of development outcomes mainly occurs in small and less-developed local governments. Finally, we examine the effect of intergovernmental transfers on local expenditure and taxation; then we discuss how the results of local finance behavior can explain the observed developmental impact.

Land consolidation as one of the innovation policy instrument for small LGs: The case of Estonian agricultural farms

Local governments (LGs) that are small and located in peripheral locations have several challenges to introduce policies for increasing local firms’ innovation activity compared to LGs located near agglomerations. This article reveals that one of the comparative advantages of small LGs is agricultural land. System failures are hindering the necessary innovativeness of farms and interventions at the local level. This article focuses on land consolidation as one possible intervention. Panel data consisting of 392 Estonian farms covering the years 2014 to 2019 were used to study the relationship between the farm structure measured by the area-weighted mean size of the parcels and the probability of implementing innovation activity. The result of the logit model with fixed effects shows that the structure of the farm and the probability to invest in buildings, machinery, equipment, and inventory are positively related. Small LGs can use this intervention for various aims and must consider environmental goals, country-specific planning systems, legislation, and farm owners’ willingness to participate in land consolidation.

Fiscal and political determinants of local government maintenance

ABSTRACT Taking advantage of a novel data set on maintenance in Norwegian local governments, a comparison was made between norms for good maintenance and actual maintenance spending. Although a sizeable minority complies with the norm, the average maintenance spending is well below the norm. A theoretical model is developed to guide the empirical analysis of the determinants of maintenance. It emphasizes the roles of fiscal capacity, fiscal distress, and political fragmentation. The empirical analysis reveals that high fiscal capacity (measured by local government revenue) and little fiscal distress (measured by rainy-day funds) are associated with a high priority of maintenance spending. However, political fragmentation that reflects myopic behaviour is associated with low maintenance priorities. The results are robust and become stronger when outliers and small local governments are omitted.

Using CUBES strategy in a remote setting for primary mathematics word problems

Various research has been carried out worldwide over the years to identify ideal methods that are helpful to pupils when solving mathematical word problems. This study aims to examine the use of the CUBES Maths Strategy, a mnemonic device, to solve word problems and was conducted in a remote setting. An action research approach using a mixed method research was conducted where all data collected were analysed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The participants involved were pupils from a small local government primary school, aged between 8 and 9. Pupils’ test results from the given pre and post-tests were quantitatively analysed using Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test, which concluded that there was no significant change in the difference in test scores. Newman’s Error Analysis interview was conducted to investigate the source of errors committed by the pupils, which concluded that the most prominent type of error made is the Comprehension error, followed by the Transformation error. From the observations and reflections, it can be deduced that, as the research was done in a remote setting, the use of the CUBES Maths Strategy was not fully utilised. These results could be based on the interactions between teachers and students during remote online learning.

Infrastructural expertise for sustainable mobility: evolutions of road management in French local governments

For about a decade, the management of roads in small French local governments has been facing numerous challenges, including specific institutional issues, but also global processes such as ageing roads or climate change. Its study is thus particularly relevant to question possible forms of asset management for sustainable infrastructures. Drawing on a two-year ethnographic inquiry into practices of local road managers, this article investigates two important aspects of this broad issue. First, the roles of diagnoses within changing institutional frameworks question the distribution of attention to infrastructural fragilities. Second, an analysis of the pivotal role of municipalities in inter-municipal frameworks re-problematizes technical expertise in local policy-making. Altogether, these elements frame the problem of rearranging infrastructural responsibility in public institutions.

Flood Risk Assessment Using GIS-Based Analytical Hierarchy Process in the Municipality of Odiongan, Romblon, Philippines

The archipelagic Romblon province frequently experiences typhoons and heavy rains that causes extreme flooding, this produces particular concern about the severity of damage in the Municipality of Odiongan. Hence, this study aimed to assess the spatial flood risk of Odiongan using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), considering disaster risk factors with data collected from various government agencies. The study employed the geographic information system (GIS) to illustrate the spatial distribution of flooding in the municipality. Sendai Framework was the basis of risk analysis in this study. The hazard parameters considered were average annual rainfall, elevation, slope, soil type, and flood depth. Population density, land use, and household number were considered parameters for the exposure assessment. Vulnerability assessments considered gender ratio, mean age, average income, number of persons with disabilities, educational attainment, water usage, emergency preparedness, type of structures, and distance to evacuation area as physical, social, and economic factors. Each parameter was compared to one another by pairwise comparison to identify the weights based on experts’ judgment. These weights were then integrated into the flood risk assessment computation. The results led to a flood risk map which recorded nine barangays (small local government units) at high risk of flooding, notably the Poblacion Area. The results of this study will guide local government units in developing prompt flood management programs, appropriate mitigation measures, preparedness, and response and recovery strategies to reduce flood risk and vulnerability to the population of Odiongan.

Analysing financial risks of local governments to design sustainability policies for public services: An empirical study by the population size

Academic researchers and international organisations have highlighted the need for a more extensive analysis of public finance in small and medium-sized local governments, in view of the high levels of borrowing observed, often aggravated by rural depopulation. The purpose of this paper is to identify financial risks by population size of local governments, to design sustainability policies for public services in small and medium municipalities. We consider the situation of 6456 Spanish municipalities during the period 2009–2018 and find that certain demographic and socioeconomic factors influence the probability of loan default, in municipalities of all sizes. In smaller ones, the variables with most impact in this respect are socioeconomic, while among the demographic variables, female immigration and generational turnover are the most significant. In larger municipalities, the influence is more balanced between demographic and socioeconomic variables. Our results concludes that policies to reduce unemployment and the rate of generational turnover, as means of enhancing the financial viability of public services, should differ between small and large municipalities, especially as concerns employment promotion in the construction sector for persons aged 25–44 years. These employment promotion policies should pay special attention to female immigration, which is a risk factor for municipal default.

The Challenges from Post-Soviet Social Work in the Small Rural Local Governments: Estonian Case in the Period 1995 - 2015

Contemporary European social work is based on the principle of collective responsibility, human rights and social justice. The IFSW (International Federation of Social Workers) declared that social work was, and always will be, a human rights occupation.

ЭФФЕКТИВНОЕ МЕСТНОЕ УПРАВЛЕНИЕ: БОЛЬШИЕ ИЛИ МАЛЫЕ ЕДИНИЦЫ (ОПЫТ АРМЕНИИ)

The purpose of this research was to identify the impact of the size of local government units on the local public services, whether small or large local government units are preferable for the implementation of effective local governance. A whole complex of financial and socio-economic indicators from 465 amalgamated communities in Armenia, as well as the newly formed 52 clusters, were collected and analyzed, by creating a database and polynomial regression models to quantitatively measure the impact of the size of local government units on the provision of public services. The analysis has quantitatively proven that for certain public services it would be more favorable to have larger local government units, however, the small and medium-size consolidated clusters do not provide a significant increase in the provision of public services. Thus, for having substantial outcomes from consolidation the new local government units have to be much larger than they were before. Moreover, effective local governance requires both large and small local government units with its own powers and responsibilities. Disclosure of such relationships can be useful not only for ensuring better reforms in territorial administration and local governance but also for contributing to the theory and practice of public administration and local government.

The Navajo Nation Healthy Diné Nation Act: A Description of Community Wellness Projects Funded by a 2% Tax on Minimal-to-No-Nutritious-Value Foods.

To promote the health of the Navajo people, the Navajo Nation passed the Healthy Diné Nation Act (HDNA) in 2014. The HDNA included a 2% tax on "minimal-to-no-nutritional-value" foods and waived 5% sales tax on healthy foods, the first such policy in the United States and any sovereign Tribal nation. Uniquely aligned with Tribal government structures, revenue was directly allocated to 110 small local government entities (Chapters) for self-determined wellness projects. To characterize HDNA-funded wellness projects, test for variation in project type, and funding amount over time by region and community size. Longitudinal study assessing funded wellness projects from tax inception through 2019. The Navajo Nation. One hundred ten Navajo Nation Chapters receiving funding for self-determined wellness projects. The categories and specific types of wellness projects and funding over 4 years by region and community size. Of revenue collected in 2015-2018, more than 99.1% was disbursed through 2019 ($4.6 million, $13 385 annually per community) across 1315 wellness projects (12 per community). The built recreational environment category received 38.6% of funds, equipment/supplies 16.5%, instruction 15.7%, food and water initiatives 14.0%, and social events 10.2%. Most common specific projects were walking trails ($648 470), exercise equipment ($585 675), food for events ($288 879), playgrounds ($287 471), and greenhouses ($275 554). Only the proportion allocated to instruction changed significantly over time (increased 2% annually, P = .02). Smaller communities (population <1000) allocated significantly higher proportions to traditional, agricultural, and intergenerational projects and less to the built environment. Through 2019, more than 99% of HDNA revenue was successfully disbursed to 110 rural, Tribal communities. Communities chose projects related to promoting the built recreational environment, agriculture, and fitness/nutrition education, with smaller communities emphasizing cultural and intergenerational projects. These findings can inform other indigenous nations considering similar policies and funding distributions.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Budget of Slovak Local Governments: Much Cry and Little Wool?

The aim of the paper is to examine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the budgets of Slovak local governments and to propose measures that would help them better cope with similar shocks in the future (in the economic context). In the first step, we compare tax revenues with their forecast values from 2019. Subsequently, we focus on the dependence of local government revenues on share taxes - personal income tax, which we examine using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index at the level of individual local governments. We then examine this in the context of size categories of local governments as well as physical space - regions and districts. The results suggest that the COVID-19 impact on local government revenues was much less than expected. However, it revealed the economic limits of the system (structure) of local self-government in Slovakia with a majority of small (and vulnerable) local governments. The way out would be a shift to property taxes, but this is limited due the reluctance of local government representatives to accept a greater degree of responsibility for filling the revenue side of budgets with local taxes and fees.

What influences success of small local government amalgamations: a comparison of cases in Thailand and the United States

PurposeMunicipal amalgamation (or merger or consolidation) is commonly employed in countries around the world to improve efficiency in public service. While mergers occur among jurisdictions of all sizes, the municipal amalgamation discourse is typically limited to one national setting and a focus on mergers of larger local jurisdictions. The existing municipal amalgamation literature pays little attention to predicate conditions for successful mergers. This study seeks to address these deficiencies by examining the premerger conditions and effects of municipal amalgamations that recently took place in four small jurisdictions of similar size in Thailand and the United States.Design/methodology/approachA holistic multiple case study approach was employed. These two cases share a geographical attribute: one municipal jurisdiction encircled by another.FindingsThe evidence indicates that factors associated with what the researchers refer to as “familiarity” facilitated both successful approval of and outcomes resulting from the amalgamation actions. While the study's findings align with international research regarding the potential for reducing administrative support costs through consolidation, its findings diverge from existing international evidence in that the evidence indicates operating effectiveness and efficiency improvements. Economies of scope and marginal economies of scale are in evidence. Although findings from this study indicate that there might be problematic effects regarding political representation and participation, in that the consolidated jurisdictions remain small in size, negative citizen engagement and participation consequences may be less than that evidenced in larger consolidated jurisdictions.Originality/valueThe study introduces the “familiarity” theorem as a theoretical lens to assist in understanding the cases.

An Empirical Investigation of the Relationship between Local Government Budgets, IT Expenditures, and Cyber Losses

Information technology (IT) is the key component of e-government infrastructures, but at the same time, it makes governments more exposed to the cyber risk. In this study, we take an empirical approach to investigate the cyber risk in the public sector. We describe the most common cyber threats facing local governments and build linear models to explain the relationships between cyber losses, local government budgets, and IT expenditures. We find that local governments are affected by cyber incidents more frequently, and disruption incidents that lead to the malfunction of e-government services are on the rise. In addition, the magnitude of cyber losses used to have a strong positive relationship with the affected governments' budget size. However, in recent years, this relationship is weakening, and small local governments are more heavily impacted by cyber incidents than before. Our findings further suggest that investing in information technology is becoming more effective in terms of lowering the loss-to-budget ratio. However, this also means local governments with small budgets do not benefit from this change as much as the large ones do.