The Nexus of State and Local Capacity in Vertical Policy Diffusion

2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 188-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junghack Kim ◽  
Bruce D. McDonald ◽  
Jooho Lee
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Policy Diffusion ◽  
Institutional Autonomy ◽  
Vertical Diffusion ◽  
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ◽  
Accounting Principles ◽  
State And Local

This article examines the vertical diffusion of a policy between a state and its local governments. Although policy diffusion typically relies upon multiple mechanisms, diffusion between a state and its local governments relies primarily on coercion. Using a case study of state-mandated adherence to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), we show that the coercion mechanism is dependent upon the capacity of the state and local governments to adopt and implement a policy, as well as the discretion available to a local government. Utilizing data from all 50 states as of 2008, our findings show that the vertical diffusion of a policy is reliant on a state’s fiscal capacity and the personnel capacity of the local government. We also found that strong institutional autonomy at the local level leads a state to adopt a GAAP mandate.

scholarly journals Clientelism, Partyarchy and Democratic Backsliding: A Case Study of Local Government Elections in Bangladesh

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-91
Author(s):  
Abu Elias Sarker ◽  
Faraha Nawaz
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Service ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Democratic Governance ◽  
The Political ◽  
Institutional Environments ◽  
Effective Role ◽  
Grassroots Level

In a developing country like Bangladesh, the devolved local government system is widely recognized as one of the key institutional forms for the citizen-centric public service delivery system and ensuring democratic governance at the grassroots level. However, the democratic nature of local governments and their effective role in rendering services are contingent upon the political and institutional environments of the country. Competitive electoral process is key to local democratic governance. The purpose of this article is to analyze the implications of contemporary political order and institutional environments for the proper functioning of the Union Parishad (council), the lowest tier of the local government system in Bangladesh. More specifically, this study will reflect on how political clientelism, partyarchy and institutional environments have stymied competitive electoral politics at the local level which may result in democratic backsliding.

Environment, Process and Policy: A Reconsideration

1969 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 1172-1182 ◽  
Author(s):  
James W. Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Middle Class ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Public Policies ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Comparative Approach ◽  
Political Processes ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
State And Local

In recent years a growing body of research has used multivariate statistical techniques to examine the relationship between aggregate environmental characteristics and the public policies of state and local governments. This research has been concerned primarily with isolating or demonstrating the social, economic, and political correlates of either public policies (e.g., expenditures, revenues and referenda issues) or governmental structures (viz., form of government, size of election districts and type of ballot).One advantage of the aggregate approach, beyond the relative accessibility of data, is that it permits a systematic, comparative study of states or cities. On the local level this comparative approach provides a convenient supplement to the earlier case study approach which was concerned with the political processes and issues of particular cities.A number of hypotheses have been suggested by studies employing either the case study or aggregate approaches. In those observations dealing with government structure, attention is usually directed to the council-manager plan as an example of progressive government. That is, city governments which are reform-oriented are likely to be found in more affluent, better educated, homogeneous, middle-class cities. The notion is that the middle class prefers a more efficient, professional city administration. Conversely, the mayor-council plan is usually associated with older, machine-type politics which allegedly reflects the preferences of the less affluent, less-educated, working class and ethnic minorities who are most concerned about political representation.

scholarly journals Participatory monitoring and evaluation in local government: a case study of Lambussie District, Ghana

2021 ◽  
pp. 40-55
Author(s):  
Bernard Afiik Akanpabadai Akanbang ◽  
Anass Ibn Abdallah
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Group Discussions ◽  
Participatory Monitoring ◽  
Local Government Level ◽  
District Assemblies

Ghana has pursued decentralisation since 1988, but its implementation continues to face challenges. Participatory monitoring and evaluation (PM&E) is one of the tools that can help local governments to be more effective in the planning and management of development projects. However, the issues involved in implementing PM&E in rural local governments operating within a rapidly changing sociocultural and political environment have not been sufficiently explored. To fill this gap in knowledge, this paper draws on project and policy documents and primary data on the application of PM&E in District Assemblies’ Common Fund projects implemented between 2013 and 2017 in Ghana’s Lambussie District. Six key informant interviews were held with district- and regional-level stakeholders, and eight focus group discussions were undertaken at the community level. The research found that inadequate provision for operationalising PM&E at the local level, and lack of accountability and feedback mechanisms, resulted in a tokenistic approach to PM&E. The authors suggest that research and advocacy on mechanisms for holding district authorities accountable is vital to the success of future PM&E initiatives at local government level.

scholarly journals Performance of Decentralized Local Service Delivery in Developed Countries: Case Study of Japan

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (35) ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyantha W. Mudalige
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Political Institutions ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Local Service ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative

Many countries decentralize the administrative, fiscal, and political functions of the central government to lower-level governments. In many developing and developed countries, governments and their policymakers have used decentralization as a means of improving the delivery of local service. Accordingly, this study is based on the delivery of local services to the people by the local governments of Japan as a developed country. The overall objective of this article is to review the performance of decentralized local service delivery in developed countries and based on a case study of Japan. The study also aims to examine the correlation between the revenue and expenditure of local governments of Japan and its trends. Basically, this article has been written based on secondary data materials. This data consists of qualitative and quantitative characteristics. Hence, a qualitative and quantitative descriptive method has been applied to analyse the performance of local government decentralization in Japan, and descriptive statistical methods are used to analyse the data and the correlation between revenue and expenditure. The problem in this research is how the functional political institutions created for local service delivery at the sub-national governments in Japan affects the success of decentralization. This research revealed several findings. The local governments of Japan have a sound institutional system and several powers recognized by the constitution. Japanese local governments monitor over 70% of national works, but a majority of the standard public services are the responsibility of local governments. Karl Pearson’s correlation value of revenue and expenditure is 0.979, and there is a strong positive relationship between revenues and expenditure. In Japan, the highest value of local government spending is on public welfare. It is followed by education, civil engineering works, and general administration, second, third, and fourth, respectively. Also, its central and local administrative institutions are maintained in a mutually dependent and mutually complementary relationship. Most of the local governments are collaborating with the private sector in Japan. As a result, the efficiency of service delivery has improved at the local level. In this way, waste management, which is a major local problem in Japan, is being dealt with closely by the central government and the local governments.

Local Level Decentralization in Ethiopia: Case Study of Tigray Regional State

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 95-126
Author(s):  
Assefa Fiseha
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Institutional Arrangement ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Political Elite ◽  
Regional State ◽  
Formal Level

AbstractBased on the literature on decentralization, this article investigates the institutional arrangement and autonomy of local governments in Tigray Regional state. It is based on two rounds of field work covering nine districts. At a formal level, local governments are autonomous units with some defined mandates including power to decide on policy issues. In reality however, local governments in the study area act more as deconcentrated than as autonomous units since their autonomy is curtailed by higher level governments and party structures. Local governments are thus extension arms of the regional state with little autonomy of their own. Institutions such as elected councils, mayors and the executive exist at the local level but there is more vertical than horizontal accountability. As a result, local Councils have not been able to ensure accountability. Thus decentralization has not resulted in popular control of local governance and local-level development as interests of the party and the local political elite prevail over popular interests. The article calls for rethinking the design of local government that would constitute a local government deal that shifts decision-making away from higher level institutions to the local level, constituting multi-stake holders having control over the affairs of local government.

Accounting professionalism and local government gaap adoption: A national study

2014 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 292-312 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saleha Khumawala ◽  
Justin Marlowe ◽  
Daniel Gordon Neely
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
National Study ◽  
Government Accountability ◽  
Economic Perspective ◽  
Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ◽  
Local Government Finance ◽  
Accounting Principles ◽  
Economic Motives

We examine the factors that associate with local government decisions to comply with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). GAAP non-compliance is surprisingly common among larger local governments, and that trend has important implications for public policy, financial management transparency, and government accountability. To examine the factors that drive GAAP compliance, we develop a conceptual framework based on the politico-economic perspective on accounting policy choice, and then test that model with data from a national survey of local government finance professionals. Our key contribution is that we incorporate accounting professionalism. The findings suggest that for many local governments the decision to adopt GAAP is a response to the pressures of professionalism rather than a rational response to political and economic motives.

scholarly journals THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF THE PHENOMENON «TERRITORIAL COMMUNITY»: CONCEPTS AND FEATURES

2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (1(86)) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tetiana Sakhno
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The State ◽  
Present Stage ◽  
Conceptual Approach ◽  
Theoretical Understanding ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
State And Local

European integration processes and their intensity have given the impetus to the decentralization of power in Ukraine, which are considered to be one of the most successful reforms at the present stage of the country development. The redistribution of power and resources between the state and local governments involves systemic tools usage in regulating the socio-economic space and achieving macroeconomic stability of territories and the state in general. European models and modern approaches to municipal governance, the development of local democracy were the basis for changes in the territorial organization of power. In the system of local self-government of Ukraine, the key-place belongs to territorial communities that are the subjects of public authority, the primary bearers of functions and powers at the local level. The territorial community is a powerful lever in stimulating the economic activity of the territory through strategic planning of domestic development aimed to improve the economy, living standards and welfare of citizens, meeting the interests, needs, rights and freedoms of man. Strengthening the role of the territorial community, as a guarantor in ensuring the organization of its own life, requires theoretical understanding and study of the essence of this concept as a socio-economic the phenomenon of local government. The article considers the characteristic features of territorial communities in the general theoretical and methodological aspect. A review of scientific approaches to defining the concept of "territorial community" by foreign and Ukrainian researchers through the local government prism, which is relevant at the present stage of socio-economic growth, was conducted. Theoretical aspects of this phenomenon essence in the process of theory and approach development by highlighting the community characteristics are pointed out. A systematic analysis of theoretical discussions of classification features and scientific approaches is conducted. The peculiarities of the concept of "territorial community" as a political, social and economic phenomenon of local self-government are investigated. Based on various foreign and domestic researches on this question, the own conceptual approach on definite characteristic criteria is formed.

Spatial and Institutional Analysis of the Voivodships Expenditure on Culture in the Years 2003 – 2015

e-Finanse ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 67-75
Author(s):  
Adam Mateusz Suchecki
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Institutional Analysis ◽  
The State ◽  
Cultural Institutions ◽  
Location Quotient ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
National Heritage

AbstractFollowing the completion of the process of decentralisation of public administration in Poland in 2003, a number of tasks implemented previously by the state authorities were transferred to the local level. One of the most significant changes to the financing and management methods of the local authorities was the transfer of tasks related to culture and national heritage to the set of tasks implemented by local governments. As a result of the decentralisation process, the local government units in Poland were given significant autonomy in determining the purposes of their budgetary expenditures on culture. At the same time, they were obliged to cover these expenses from their own revenues.This paper focuses on the analysis of expenditures on culture covered by the voivodship budgets, taking into consideration the structure of cultural institutions by their types, between 2003-2015. The location quotient (LQ) was applied to two selected years (2006 and 2015) to illustrate the diversity of expenditures on culture in individual voivodships.

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