scholarly journals Local-Level Accountability in a Dominant Party System

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Wegner
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Party System ◽  
Political Competition ◽  
Local Level ◽  
African National Congress ◽  
Government Performance ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Electoral Incentives ◽  
Dominant Party ◽  
The Relationship

This article investigates accountability in South Africa’s dominant party system by studying how the African National Congress (ANC) reacts to electoral incentives at the local level. It compares the ANC’s degree of responsiveness to voters across municipalities with different levels of political competition. The analysis focuses on whether and under which conditions the ANC is more likely to renominate better quality municipal councillors. It examines the relationship between renomination as ANC municipal councillor and local government performance – as measured by voter signals, service delivery and audit outcomes. The results show that the ANC does indeed adapt its behaviour to electoral incentives. In municipalities where the ANC has larger margins of victory, performance matters little for renomination. In contrast, in municipalities with higher electoral competition, local government performance is strongly correlated with renomination. These results suggest the need to expand dominant party research to topics of voter responsiveness and sub-national behaviour.

New Perspectives on British Local Government

1973 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 126-138
Author(s):  
Howard A. Scarrow
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Voting Behavior ◽  
Political System ◽  
Party System ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Pressure Group ◽  
Party Organization ◽  
Pressure Groups ◽  
Party Cohesion ◽  
American Party

It is both humbling and encouraging to recall notions that Americans once entertained of the British political system. Critics of F.D.R. looked enviously at the British Parliament for its reputed ability to hold the executive firmly accountable for its actions. Somewhat later, observers on both sides of the Atlantic supposed that Britain was blessed with an absence of pressure groups. Would-be reformers of the American party system further implied that British voters cast their ballots according to the content of party programs, and that party cohesion was the result of discipline imposed by a centralized party organization able to deny renomination to recalcitrant M.P.'s. Careful analyses of intra-party workings, pressure-group activity, and voting behavior have now dispelled these and other mistaken impressions, and it seems likely that the contours of our understanding of these subjects have now been established. However, additional frontiers of knowledge of the British political system remain to be charted; one of these is government at the local level.

scholarly journals Review of the Commonwealth Local Government Good Practice Scheme

2012 ◽  
pp. 150-158
Author(s):  
Rachael Duchnowski
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Millennium Development Goals ◽  
Local Authority ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Good Practice ◽  
Government Performance ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Management Efficiency ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
Development Goals

The overarching objective of the Commonwealth Local Government Good Practice Scheme (GPS) was to contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals at the local level; there were four expected outputs:1. Increased capacity of local authorities to plan and deliver services, through successful implementation of CLGF-funded projects focussed on the following nationally agreed themes, relevant to the achievement of the MDGs;2. Measurable and/or assessable improvements in individual and/or departmental/local authority management efficiency and effectiveness delivered through the GPS projects;3. National local government associations possess effective knowledge management systems and dissemination networks working nationally - and internationally through CLGF;4. Utilisation of expertise of local government practitioners in partner countries to improve local government performance more widely.

scholarly journals ELECTORAL LOYALTY AND QUALITY OF SERVICE DELIVERY IN RUSSIAN MUNICIPALITIES

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 62-75
Author(s):  
Margarita Zavadskaya ◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Goods ◽  
Political Competition ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Administrative Practices ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Quality Of Governance ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Election Commission ◽  
Analysis Point

Local self-government in Russia has undergone a number of transformations - from spontaneous decentralization in the 1990s until the stage-by-stage integration into the state vertical system from 2003-2006. Despite the de facto loss of political and, partly, administrative autonomy, we see a huge diversity in the quality of governance and provision of public goods at the local level. Based on the Database of Municipalities' Characteristics (DMC) of Rosstat from 2008 to 2017 and data from the Central Election Commission (CEC of the Russian Federation), the article presents indices of the quality of the provision of public goods and analyzes the relationship with the Duma voting in 2016 and the budgetary autonomy of the municipality. Despite the continuing centralization of government, researchers still observe an impressive variation in both the formats of political competition and administrative practices in the regions, especially at the local level. The results of the analysis point to a number of patterns: 1. There is no strong link between budget independence and the quality of management; 2. Securing votes does not lead to the attraction of additional resources to the field and may even divert scarce funds and the human resources to technically support this loyalty.

scholarly journals The Relationship between Risk Management and Internal Audit Effectiveness at Local Government Level

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (12) ◽  
pp. 389-396
Author(s):  
Mu’azu Saidu Badara
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Review Paper ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Internal Audit ◽  
Internal Auditors ◽  
Local Government Level ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Audit Effectiveness ◽  
Government Level

Risk management can play important role in ensuring objective achievement of organizations. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to examine the relationship between risk management and internal audit effectiveness at local government level. The paper is a literature review paper and the paper concluded that risk management can influence the effectiveness of internal auditors at local level. The paper needs to be validated empirically.

scholarly journals Political Competition and Local Government Performance: Evidence from Indonesia

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jahen Fachrul Rezki
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Instrumental Variables ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Political Competition ◽  
Public Spending ◽  
The Political ◽  
Government Performance ◽  
Standard Deviation Increase ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Impact

This paper analyses the impact of political competition on local government performance in Indonesia. This study uses a new database that covers 427 districts in Indonesia, from 2000 to 2013. In Indonesia, local governments are largely responsible for fulfilling basic service delivery and, in this regard, they are extremely powerful. Political competition is measured using the Herfindahl Hirschman Concentration Index for the district parliament election. This variable is potentially endogenous, because political competition is likely to be non-random and correlated with unobservable variables. To solve this problem, I use the lag of political competition for neighbouring districts within the same province, as well as the political competition from the 1955 general election, as instrumental variables for political competition. The degree of political competition has been found to boost real Regional Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) per capita by 1.9%. Furthermore, a one standard deviation increase in political competition would increase RGDP growth by approximately 0.81%. The results also support the findings of previous studies, which have found that stiffer political competition is associated with higher public spending (e.g. infrastructure spending) and pro-business policies.

Use and Perceptions of the Availability of Local Government and Nonprofit Services in Diverse Urban Settings

2019 ◽  
Vol 48 (5) ◽  
pp. 975-997
Author(s):  
Khaldoun AbouAssi ◽  
Lewis Faulk ◽  
Long Tran ◽  
Lilli Shaffer ◽  
Minjung Kim
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Administrative Data ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Demand Side ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Government Services ◽  
Nonprofit Theory ◽  
Perceived Access ◽  
The Relationship

This analysis tests fundamental nonprofit theory using individual-level demand-side data, which complements existing studies that have relied on organizational- and community-level variables alone. We use survey and administrative data to test the relationship between individuals’ perceptions and use of local government services and their reported use of nonprofit services, controlling for the density of organizations around respondents’ addresses. Individuals who report being better served by government services are significantly more likely to report using nonprofit services—while individuals who report being unserved by government are also less likely to report access to nonprofits, despite the actual density of organizations around them. These findings support theories of interdependence between government and nonprofit sectors. However, income-based disparities in perceived access to nonprofit services highlight persistent gaps in serving all individuals on the local level.

scholarly journals Local Government Finance in Ghana: Disbursement and Utilisation of the MPs share of the District Assemblies Common Fund

2013 ◽  
pp. 90-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nana Nimo Appiah-Agyekum
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Chief Executive ◽  
Common Fund ◽  
Local Government Finance ◽  
Members Of Parliament ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
District Assemblies

The establishment of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) in 1993 and concomitant percentage set aside for Members of Parliament (MPs) in 2004 aims to support local governments and legislators in pro-poor development activities in their communities and constituencies. In spite of the importance of the MPs’ share of the District Assemblies Common Fund (MPsCF) in financing local level development in Ghana, very little is known about monitoring systems and procedures on the disbursement and utilization of the funds. The study therefore assessed qualitative data derived from interviews with officials from selected Local Government Authorities (LGAs) as well as other key stakeholders in the disbursement and utilization of the fund. The study findings point to the absence of legislative instrument on the management of the MPsCF. Further, monitoring of the fund was a responsibility shared by the LGAs and other external stakeholders. Finally, the effectiveness of monitoring the disbursement and utilization of the MPsCF was strongly influenced by the relationship between the Chief Executive of the Local Government Authority (LGCE) and MPs in the local government area.

The issue of Assessment Tax Arrears: A Case Study of the Melaka Historic City Council, Malaysia

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-81
Author(s):  
Shamsinar Rahman ◽  
Hardev Kaur Latchimanan Singh ◽  
Zaliha Hussin ◽  
Zulkifli Baharuddin
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Population Sample ◽  
City Council ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Tax System ◽  
Historic City ◽  
The Relationship

Objective - The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the relationship between the assessment tax system and tax arrears in Melaka Historic City Council, Malacca, Malaysia. (Local Government) Methodology/Technique - Method used is quantitative method. With population sample of 484 885 residents (N=484,885) and a sample size of 384 residents (n=384), the instrument used to collect primary data is questionnaire. The data were analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21. Findings - With accuracy r= .141, p< .001, showed that the relationship was moderate and highly significant. This tells us that the inadequacies in the tax system are one of the contributing factors towards high assessment tax arrears in Melaka Historic City Council. Novelty - Although the issue of tax arrears in Malaysia is not a new phenomenon. However this paper specifically focuses on the issues of assessment tax at the local level, which in this case refers to the Melaka Historic City Council. Type of Paper - Empirical Keywords : Assessment tax; Arrears; Local Government; Local autonomy; Malaysia.

The Potential of the Main Political Parties in Contemporary Russia

2021 ◽  
pp. 75-83
Author(s):  
Vitaly N. Ivanov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Political Parties ◽  
Party System ◽  
Dominant Role ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Political Regime ◽  
The Political ◽  
Ruling Elite ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Opposition Parties

The object of the research is the modern party system in Russia. The aim of the article is to study the organizational, financial, and political potential of the main parliamentary political parties: Edinaya Rossiya (United Russia (UR)), CPRF, LDPR, and Spravedlivaya Rossiya (A Just Russia). The comparative analysis of party resources revealed a significant disparity between the potential of UR and the opposition parties. The latter are inferior to the UR in terms of the number of members and the development of the organizational structure. The total number of members and local organizations of these parties is one-third of UR's indicators. The lack of a developed infrastructure for the opposition parties preserves their limited representation and influence at the local level of public power. The financial potential of the parties is formed mainly by state funding and donations from sponsors. Today, four parliamentary parties are eligible for state support. The share of public finance in their budgets is more than half of all revenues. They also receive the bulk of donations, the size of which is limited by law and is official in nature. It can be argued that Russia has formed a mechanism that allows the state to support parties without allowing the establishment of monopoly influence on their activities by individuals and elite groups. The political potential of the parties is determined by the level of their representation in state and local government bodies. Today it is dominated by UR. Its parliamentary fractions actually control the legislative branch of power at the federal and regional levels. Together with the presidential structures of power, UR also ensures the election of presidential creatures to the posts of heads of regions. Party members today form the basis of the governor's corps, with a single representation from other political parties. UR's organizations include more than half of deputies and heads of municipalities, ensuring its influence on the local government system. The high level of dominance of UR and the limited potential of the opposition parties is an important condition for the stability of the existing political regime. UR's significant opportunities allow the ruling elite to maintain and strengthen their positions: cut off the forces of the radical opposition from power, control the legislative process providing legal support for decisions of the government and the head of state, consolidate the federal and regional elite, ensuring the rotation of elites and coordination of their interests. In these circumstances, the parties of the parliamentary opposition are important for preserving the democratic nature of the political process. They do not question the dominant role of UR, offer limited competition to it, and do not have the potential to really influence key political decisions.

scholarly journals Nuanced Accountability: Voter Responses to Service Delivery in Southern Africa

2017 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 185-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel de Kadt ◽  
Evan S. Lieberman
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
Electoral Accountability ◽  
Dominant Party ◽  
Citizen Attitudes ◽  
Basic Services ◽  
The Relationship

Various theories of democratic governance posit that citizens should vote for incumbent politicians when they provide good service, and vote for the opposition when service delivery is poor. But does electoral accountability work as theorized, especially in developing country contexts? Studying Southern African democracies, where infrastructural investment in basic services has expanded widely but not universally, we contribute a new empirical answer to this question. Analyzing the relationship between service provision and voting, we find a surprising negative relationship: improvements in service provision predict decreases in support for dominant party incumbents. Though stronger in areas where opposition parties control local government, the negative relationship persists even in those areas where local government is run by the nationally dominant party. Survey data provide suggestive evidence that citizen concerns about corruption and ratcheting preferences for service delivery may be driving citizen attitudes and behaviors. Voters may thus be responsive to service delivery, but perhaps in ways that are more nuanced than extant theories previously recognized.

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