scholarly journals Reforming local government: Must it always be democracy versus efficiency?

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aodh Quinlivan
Keyword(s):  
Financial Crisis ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Democratic Legitimacy ◽  
Government Reform ◽  
Staffing Levels ◽  
Subnational Government ◽  
Government Sector ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
Input Legitimacy

Abstract The financial crisis from 2008 has had a profound impact on Irish local government. Councils were faced with a disastrous combination of factors - declining funding from central government, difficulties in collecting commercial rates as businesses struggled, and a drastic fall in revenue from development levies. Staffing levels in the local government sector were reduced by over 20 per cent, significantly more than the losses suffered by central government ministries and departments. Yet the financial crisis also offered an opportunity for reform and a fundamental reappraisal of subnational government in Ireland. A reform strategy produced in 2012 paved the way for the Local Government Reform Act, 2014. As a result of this legislation, the number of local authorities was reduced from 114 to 31 with the complete abolition of all town councils. The number of council seats also fell from 1,627 to 949. Using Scharpf’s dimensions of democratic legitimacy, this article assesses whether the focus of the 2014 reforms was on output legitimacy (efficiency and effectiveness) as opposed to input legitimacy (citizen integration and participation).

scholarly journals Quo vadis? The local government in Turkey after public management reforms

2018 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evrim Tan
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Management ◽  
Public Services ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Reform Process ◽  
Decentralized System ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness ◽  
Quo Vadis

In the 2000s, Turkey has reformed its public administration system in line with New Public Management (NPM) principles towards a more decentralized system. Although the initial aim of the reform process is set to achieve a decentralized and more efficient public management system, the empirical data and official statistics cast doubt on whether this outcome will ever be achieved. Analyzing local government legislation, the discretion of central government in local governance, and the changes in the status of local government in public governance, the article presents the evolution of the local government system in Turkey during the Justice and Development Party government. Points for practitioners The public management reform experience of Turkey resembles the NPM reform patterns in countries with Napoleonic state tradition. Similar to these countries, the emphasis on managerial practices over participatory elements has been prevalent in improving the efficiency and effectiveness of public services. Yet, the findings in the Turkish case challenge the proposition that managerial reforms alone, without improving local democratic governance, can enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of public services.

The Role of Performance Indicators in Housing Management: A Critique

1994 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 609-621 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Smith ◽  
R Walker
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Performance Indicators ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Performance Indicator ◽  
Target Groups ◽  
Housing Management ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Efficiency And Effectiveness

In this paper an evaluation of the housing management performance indicators regime in the United Kingdom is provided. First, the context in which performance measurement in the housing service in the United Kingdom has developed is set and lessons are drawn from the use of statutory indicators following the Local Government and Housing Act 1989. By examining the performance indicator regime in Wales it is suggested that the regime is flawed because it provides information which points towards the economic efficiency of service provision rather than explaining the effectiveness of services. This is compounded by the multiple audience that the performance indicator regime is targeted at: tenants, local government, and central government. The conflict arising from the multiple target groups results in the regime being unable to serve properly its primary audience, that is, tenants. To conclude the paper, some alternatives are suggested, and the need for performance indicators to be seen as tools for evaluating the relative efficiency and effectiveness of local authority housing management over time is highlighted.

scholarly journals Getting Closer to Communities: The Warmth of Community Well-being in the Local Government Act 2002

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Mubashir Mukhtar
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
The Core ◽  
Government Sector

<p>The reintroduction of community well-being as a purpose, into the Local Government Act 2002, has created the opportunity for the Councils to engage with their communities in a more holistic way. Although the Councils are consulting within their jurisdictions, this is currently more focused on the core services delivered or assets managed by them. With the community well-being framework in place, the Councils will be able to monitor the developments within their communities from a social, economic, environmental, and cultural perspective. It will enable them to participate on the ground level and to raise the volume with the central government agencies on what matters most for their communities. </p> <p>The enabling factor for this conversation to happen is sitting with the extensiveness of community engagement from the Council side. Through these engagements, the Councils will be able to identify and prioritise the outcomes which their communities’ value. These outcomes will be impacting on the Council business as to what and how they will deliver the core services. </p> <p>In this thesis, we will be looking into the history and role of community well-being in the Local Government Act 2002, and its evolution into the Local Government (Community Well-being) Amendment Act 2019. Along with it, we intend to identify a framework and a set of indicators on community well-being which are common across the local government sector. </p> <p>This research will primarily help the staff members of the Councils to grasp the dynamics of community well-being and to incorporate it in their various strategic plans and reports. Secondly, it will help the community organisations and contractors to work more closely with the Councils and see how they can have a more positive impact on their communities. Thirdly, this piece will seek to align the well-being work of the local government sector with the work currently undergoing at the central government level; specifically, the Living Standards Framework (LSF) at The Treasury and Indicators Aotearoa New Zealand (IANZ) at Statistics New Zealand.</p>

Local Government Reform in Jamaica

2017 ◽  
pp. 520-542
Author(s):  
Keith L. Miller
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Government Reform ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Reform Program ◽  
Formal Institution ◽  
Tier System ◽  
Current Reform ◽  
Subnational Governance

Local government as a formal institution has existed in Jamaica since 1667. It has traditionally been perceived as the lower of a two-tier system of government in which it has essentially operated as an instrument of central government. The second of two major reforms to the local government system was initiated in 1990 and officially launched in 1995. The current reform program constitutes a new paradigm of subnational governance and development, in which local government is no longer primarily a creature of central government, but rather a vehicle for the management of local affairs, including the pursuit of local developmental priorities, with strong participation by local citizens and stakeholders. Such a paradigm is claimed to be critical to addressing governance and developmental challenges that currently confront Jamaica. This study examines the validity of this claim and whether this new paradigm is likely to enhance subnational governance and development.

Postwar Development of Hokkaido

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 134-155
Author(s):  
Juha Saunavaara
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Government Reform ◽  
Administrative System ◽  
Development System ◽  
Development Agency ◽  
Ideal Situation ◽  
Supreme Commander

The near revolutionary reforms that U.S. occupiers enforced in Japan between 1945 and 1952 altered the characteristics of the Hokkaido development system, but did not make it correspond to the administrative system in the rest of Japan. Although the establishment of the postwar Hokkaido development system was a subplot of the nationwide local government reform from the perspective of the U.S. occupation authorities, this process can be explained only when one understands the changes to the general occupation policy and the actions of the occupiers. While the Hokkaido electorate chose a socialist governor, by the end of U.S. occupation, the decision-making power drifted toward Japan’s conservative central government. While the occupation authorities originally prohibited creation of the Hokkaido Development Agency in 1947, they lifted that ban three years later and even reluctantly approved the establishment of the Hokkaido Development Bureau in 1951, although General Headquarters/Supreme Commander of Allied Powers (ghq/scap) discouraged such a move throughout the occupation. This article argues that the outcome was a compromise that failed to match anyone’s concept of an ideal situation.

scholarly journals The possibility of a New Type of Special Municipality: A Review of Local Government Reform Policy in Taiwan as a model for other global cities

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 130
Author(s):  
Wang Pao-Chien ◽  
Yeh Hui-Chi
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Minority Rights ◽  
Government Reform ◽  
Home Rule ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
New Type

This article examines local government reform in Taiwan. It highlights the challenges that new municipalities face in responding to rural – urban population, balancing centralism and localism, and protecting cultural diversity and minority rights. By applying Dillion’s rule and Home rule theories, it classifies two types of special municipalities, identifying their characteristics, advantages and disadvantages. The article is presented in three parts. The first part examines the structure of local government, then explains how local governments are established and their relationship with central government. The second part focuses on government reform, by highlighting the issues and concerns facing local and central governments, and their respective reforms. The third part classifies two types of special municipality governments, by examining how each type balances efficiency and democracy, and the needs of central government versus the local community. The article concludes with a discussion of future challenges facing local government and special municipalities.

scholarly journals Regional Transition Groups and Regional Collaborative Groups - A Voluntary Approach to Structural Reform in Western Australi

2012 ◽  
pp. 159-164
Author(s):  
Chris Berry
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Western Australia ◽  
Structural Reform ◽  
Government Reform ◽  
Collaborative Groups ◽  
Voluntary Approach ◽  
Government Sector ◽  
Western Australian

The Western Australian Minister for Local Government, the Hon John Castrilli MLA announced on 4 February 2009 strategies for local government reform based on a voluntary reduction in the number of individual councils.Western Australia has a professional and well managed local government sector that is characterised by diversity in size, revenue and remoteness. However, Western Australia is effectively the last state in Australia to experience major structural reform in the sector. Local government reform in WA is currently being implemented as a voluntary, industry led process.

Is the conflict container full? Problems of fiscal sustainability at the local government level in Hungary

2010 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Vigvári
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Fiscal Federalism ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Fiscal Sustainability ◽  
Fiscal Discipline ◽  
System A ◽  
Government Sector ◽  
Short Run ◽  
Local Government Level

The paper discusses the reasons and possible resolutions of the contradictions in the Hungarian local government system, and proposes methods to resolve them. The nature of the Hungarian system cannot be described by classical normative theories of fiscal federalism. The operation of Hungarian local governments is determined rather by the decentralisation of conflicts stemming from the reduction of state responsibilities, and the resulting municipal behaviour. The second generation theory of fiscal federalism pays particular attention to the institutional guarantees of fiscal discipline shown by the lower levels of government sector. Actors in the Hungarian system, a system that functions as a ‘conflict container’, try to offset the financial pressures, weighing heavily on them by borrowing and by contingent liabilities. While central government has transferred new duties to local governments from year to year, it has reduced the amount of fiscal subsidies. Until a long-term comprehensive reform is implemented, consequent risks must be treated in the short run, as well.

‘You can't play politics with people's jobs and people's services’: Localism and the politics of local government finance

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 635-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Wilks-Heeg
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Government Reform ◽  
Local Elections ◽  
Political Strategy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Local Government Finance ◽  
The Government ◽  
Party Support ◽  
Opinion Polls

Despite growing cross-party support for the principles of localism, the coalition's radical devolution agenda looks set to provoke a level of tension in central–local relations not seen since the 1980s. This article argues that the central cause of this friction, the front-loading of cuts in the local government financial settlement for 2011–2013, must be understood as the centrepiece of theConservatives’ agenda for local government reform. It is argued that, as with the introduction of the poll tax after 1987, the Conservatives have adopted a high-risk political strategy that will require the government to persuade voters that cuts in services arise from the failings of local councils. Evidence from opinion polls in the first half of 2011 suggests that the public is yet to be convinced that the blame lies with local government, but that they remain open to persuasion. However, a regionalized analysis of projected public sector job loss and voting patterns at the 2011 English local elections suggests that voters look set to blame central government in the areas where the cuts will hit hardest. If future local elections repeat this pattern, the limitations of the political strategy behind the localism agenda will become highly apparent.

scholarly journals Getting Closer to Communities: The Warmth of Community Well-being in the Local Government Act 2002

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Mubashir Mukhtar
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
The Core ◽  
Government Sector

<p>The reintroduction of community well-being as a purpose, into the Local Government Act 2002, has created the opportunity for the Councils to engage with their communities in a more holistic way. Although the Councils are consulting within their jurisdictions, this is currently more focused on the core services delivered or assets managed by them. With the community well-being framework in place, the Councils will be able to monitor the developments within their communities from a social, economic, environmental, and cultural perspective. It will enable them to participate on the ground level and to raise the volume with the central government agencies on what matters most for their communities. </p> <p>The enabling factor for this conversation to happen is sitting with the extensiveness of community engagement from the Council side. Through these engagements, the Councils will be able to identify and prioritise the outcomes which their communities’ value. These outcomes will be impacting on the Council business as to what and how they will deliver the core services. </p> <p>In this thesis, we will be looking into the history and role of community well-being in the Local Government Act 2002, and its evolution into the Local Government (Community Well-being) Amendment Act 2019. Along with it, we intend to identify a framework and a set of indicators on community well-being which are common across the local government sector. </p> <p>This research will primarily help the staff members of the Councils to grasp the dynamics of community well-being and to incorporate it in their various strategic plans and reports. Secondly, it will help the community organisations and contractors to work more closely with the Councils and see how they can have a more positive impact on their communities. Thirdly, this piece will seek to align the well-being work of the local government sector with the work currently undergoing at the central government level; specifically, the Living Standards Framework (LSF) at The Treasury and Indicators Aotearoa New Zealand (IANZ) at Statistics New Zealand.</p>

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