scholarly journals Love is blind: partisan alignment and political corruption in Spain

SERIEs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Ángel Borrella-Mas ◽  
Martin Rode
Keyword(s):  
Public Discourse ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Political Process ◽  
Real Estate Industry ◽  
Local Politicians ◽  
Boom And Bust ◽  
Boom And Bust Cycle ◽  
Regional Elections ◽  
Municipal Level ◽  
Do So

AbstractEver since the spectacular boom and bust cycle of the Spanish real estate industry, endemic corruption at the local level has become a widely recognized problem in the national public discourse. In an effort to expose an under-explored political determinant, this paper investigates the effect of local and regional alignment in fomenting corruption at the Spanish municipal level. To do so, we construct an ample panel dataset on the prevalence of corrupt practices by local politicians, which is employed to test the possible impact of partisan alignment in three consecutive joint municipal and regional elections. Findings show aligned municipalities to be more corrupt than non-aligned ones, an effect that is further associated with absolute majorities at both levels of government and higher capital transfers. By contrast, we also show that “throwing the rascals out” could be an effective strategy for curbing the corrupt practices of aligned municipalities. This indicates that the democratic political process may be effective in corruption control if agreements can be reached to remove corrupt politicians or parties from power.

scholarly journals Effect of political corruption on municipal tax revenues

2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 231-240
Author(s):  
María Dolores Guillamón ◽  
Javier Cifuentes ◽  
Ursula Faura ◽  
Bernardino Benito
Keyword(s):  
Government Spending ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Local Level ◽  
National Level ◽  
Political Corruption ◽  
Municipal Governments ◽  
Tax Revenues ◽  
Local Politicians ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Municipal Level

La mayor parte de la investigación sobre la corrupción se ha realizado a nivel nacional, porque su estudio a nivel regional o local es más complejo. Aunque hay muchos estudios sobre la relación entre la corrupción y el gasto público, muy pocos examinan la influencia de la corrupción en los ingresos públicos, y no hemos encontrado ninguno a nivel subnacional, excepto el reciente de Liu y Mikesell (2019). Nuestro objetivo es analizar la corrupción política a nivel municipal, estudiando si el nivel de ingresos de los gobiernos municipales se ve afectado por los casos de corrupción que involucran a los políticos locales. Otros factores que se toman en cuenta son la ideología política, el gobierno de mayoría absoluta y el ciclo electoral. La muestra es un panel de datos de todos los municipios españoles con una población de más de 50.000 habitantes para el período 2002-2013. Most research on corruption has been at the national level, because its study at the regional or local level is more complex. Although there are many studies about the relation between corruption and government spending, very few examine the influence of corruption on government revenues, and we have not found any at the subnational level, except the recent Liu & Mikesell (2019). Our aim is to analyze political corruption at the municipal level, studying whether the level of revenue of municipal governments is affected by the cases of corruption involving local politicians. Some of the other factors taken into account are political ideology, absolute majority government and the electoral cycle. The sample is a data panel of all the Spanish municipalities with a population of over 50,000 inhabitants for the period 2002-2013. Our results reveal that municipalities with higher levels of corruption have higher tax revenues in per capita terms.

Transition and the Pitfalls of Nondemocratic Institutions: A review of Constitutionality in Ethiopia

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-87
Author(s):  
Tadesse Melaku
Keyword(s):  
Case Analysis ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
Institutional Reforms ◽  
Constitutional Review ◽  
The Past ◽  
Government Power ◽  
Review Mechanism ◽  
And Control ◽  
Regional Elections ◽  
Do So

Ethiopia has undertaken important political reforms after the fall of authoritarianism in 2018. This article examines the performance of Ethiopia’s constitutional review mechanism amid the ongoing political and institutional reforms in the country. The study focuses on the process and merit of the constitutional ruling to delay the 2020 national and regional elections because of the coronavirus pandemic, thereby extending the government’s tenure. It further unravels the challenges posed by nondemocratic institutions of the past regime in navigating the transition. In doing so, this study draws on legal, documentary and case analysis, and a literature review. While the mandate extension comes as no surprise, the reasoning of the decision to do so was disappointing for many, dashing the hope and sense of a constitutional moment that accompanied the highly publicised constitutional hearing process in June 2020. The judgment reveals an endemic deficiency of the institutional system. Thus, it is imperative for Ethiopia to establish an independent constitutional umpire to check and control the exercise of government power and support the transition to multiparty democratic governance in the country.

scholarly journals Economies of Scale on the Municipal Level: Fact or Fiction in the Czech Republic?

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 39-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lenka Matějová ◽  
Juraj Nemec ◽  
Milan Křápek ◽  
Daniel Klimovský
Keyword(s):  
Czech Republic ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Local Administration ◽  
Government Performance ◽  
The Czech Republic ◽  
Territorial Structure ◽  
Pros And Cons ◽  
Municipal Level

AbstractMany countries have carried out extensive amalgamation-related territorial reforms at the level of local self-government and created relatively large municipalities. The Czech Republic is one of the few remaining European countries with a fragmented territorial structure. There is a lot of discussion in the country about the need for amalgamation, but this discussion is mainly based on political arguments rather than on empirical evidence about the feasibility of amalgamation and its potential to improve local government performance. This paper analyses economies of scale on the local level as a factor that should be reflected in debates about the pros and cons of amalgamation in the Czech Republic. To add to the existing knowledge about the reality of economies of scale on the municipal level in the Czech Republic, we processed the municipal costs of three selected areas on a representative sample of municipalities in the South Moravian Region. The analysis showed that economies of scale can be identified for collecting local fees and for pre-school and elementary education, but not for local administration. Our results suggest that the existence of too small municipalities in the Czech Republic results in inefficiencies and should be addressed.

scholarly journals Implementation of the electoral right at the municipal level: fundamental ideas, directions of positive evolution

2020 ◽  
pp. 141-144
Author(s):  
Olga Petryanina
Keyword(s):  
Local Level ◽  
Electoral Process ◽  
Municipal Elections ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Democratic State ◽  
State And Society ◽  
Electoral Law ◽  
Positive Evolution ◽  
Municipal Level

The article demonstrates the role of the electoral process in the modern Russian democratic state and society. The distinctive features of the new electoral process are highlighted. The role of municipal elections in the implementation of the electoral right is defined. The peculiarities of the implementation of electoral rights at the local level are noted. The two-system nature of the principles of electoral law is presented. The interrelation and interdependence of the fundamental ideas of the electoral law of the Federal and municipal levels is emphasized.

The Four Anchors Model – Women Political Participation

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 241-259
Author(s):  
Osnat Akirav ◽  
Yael Ben-Horin
Keyword(s):  
Content Analysis ◽  
Political Participation ◽  
Research Methods ◽  
Authentic Leadership ◽  
Information Sources ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Political Life ◽  
Women Candidates ◽  
Israeli Government ◽  
Do So

AbstractThis paper examines the causes of the increase in the number of women candidates in local Israeli government elections during October 2013. To do so, it develops a new model called the four anchors model based on (1) authentic leadership, (2) organizations with gender awareness, (3) practices that provide organized training for women only and (4) networking for women. Establishment of each one of the anchors with synergy among all four of them will encourage more women to be active in political life at the local level. The research combines mixed research methods based on seven different information sources such as questionnaires, interviews, content analysis of newsletters from the Local Councilwomen’s Union, observations and informal talks with women council members.

Cities, commons, and the unilateral provision of public goods

2021 ◽  
pp. 004711782110370
Author(s):  
Nina Kelsey
Keyword(s):  
Public Goods ◽  
International System ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Host Countries ◽  
Carbon Reduction ◽  
Reduction Activity ◽  
Political Perspective ◽  
Global Carbon ◽  
Municipal Level

The rise of climate-active municipalities – cities and towns voluntarily creating carbon reduction policy substantially more stringent than their host countries or the international system as a whole – presents a puzzle. Countries, with greater resources and the capacity to create binding agreements to overcome public goods problems, appear to view carbon reduction as an unappealing burden. So why are municipalities, with fewer resources and no way to guarantee a coordinated global effort, so eager to take on the potential disadvantages of stringent carbon reduction? Based on examination of municipal-level carbon reduction activity in Sweden and Portugal, I argue that in fact local-level climate activity represents not a burden but a tool. Municipal climate policy forms the basis for ‘paradiplomacy’ that captures goods for cities, creates international linkages for municipalities, and allows direct participation in setting the terms of global carbon commons policy. The evidence suggests that the nature of the climate commons – incompletely structured from a legal and political perspective, and open to access and intervention by actors at multiple levels – provides unique opportunities for actors to act as makers rather than takers of global governance structure and diplomatic effort in a critical area of emerging international policymaking.

Rebel Primary Commodity Markets, Price Shocks, and Supplier Victimization

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea L Estancona
Keyword(s):  
Commodity Price ◽  
Commodity Markets ◽  
Price Shocks ◽  
Supplier Relationships ◽  
Primary Commodity ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Commodity Price Shocks ◽  
Reputational Costs ◽  
Municipal Level ◽  
Do So

Abstract Rebel organizations often benefit from the sale of primary commodities. However, producing these commodities may require labor from noncombatants. Rebels provide security and payment to civilian suppliers, but their ability to do so depends on consistent profits. How, then, do price shocks to labor-intensive primary commodities undermine rebel–supplier relationships? I hypothesize that negative commodity price shocks lead cash-strapped rebels to ensure suppliers’ loyalty by substituting coercion for positive incentives. Conversely, states seek to limit rapid increases in rebels’ profit while avoiding the reputational costs of civilian victimization. Thus, victimization of rebel suppliers from groups such as pro-government paramilitaries is hypothesized to increase after positive commodity price shocks. I test these hypotheses with a new dataset covering 1999–2007 that combines monthly US STRIDE (System to Retrieve Information from Drug Evidence) data on cocaine price with municipal-level data from the Colombian Centro Nacional de Memoria Histórica about the FARC (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia) and paramilitary groups’ use of civilian victimization.

Financial Development and the Credit Cycle in Greece1

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Haliassos ◽  
Gikas Hardouvelis ◽  
Margarita Tsoutsoura ◽  
Dimitri Vayanos
Keyword(s):  
Financial Regulation ◽  
Financial System ◽  
Equity Capital ◽  
Cost Of Equity Capital ◽  
Debt Overhang ◽  
Boom And Bust ◽  
Greek Economy ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Long Term Performance ◽  
Boom And Bust Cycle

This chapter reviews the developments in Greece's financial system since the beginning of the crisis. The chapter places them in a broader context by (i) evaluating the long-term performance of Greece's financial system in comparison to other countries, and (ii) reviewing the credit boom-and-bust cycle that Greece has experienced since Euro entry. Risks in the Greek economy remain overly concentrated to those originating them and are not well diversified. By raising the cost of equity capital for firms, this impedes investment. It also drives up corporate leverage, thus making the economy more vulnerable to shocks. These vulnerabilities manifested themselves even before the sovereign crisis hit. Strengthening investor protection, through improvements in the justice system and financial regulation, is an important part of the solution. In the shorter run, the debt overhang problem in the private sector should be addressed. The chapter discusses policy options to achieve these goals.

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