Loan Choice of Local Governments in the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT Increasingly, there is interest in using information and communications technology (ICT) to help build a “better world.” As an example, the United Kingdom has initiated an “open data” movement to disclose financial information about federal and local governments and other organizations. This has led to the use of a wide range of technologies (Internet, Databases, Web 2.0, etc.) to facilitate disclosure. However, since there is a huge cost of generating and maintaining open data, there also is a concern: “will anyone do anything with the data?” In a speech in 2009, David Cameron, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, used the term “armchair auditor” to describe crowdsourcing analysis of that data. In that speech, Cameron (2009) noted: “Just imagine the effect that an army of armchair auditors is going to have on those expense claims.” Accordingly, as more and more countries and organizations generate open data, those “armchair auditors” could play an increasingly important role: to help crowdsource monitoring of government expenditures. This paper investigates a number of potential benefits and a number of emerging concerns associated with armchair auditors.

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E-Democracy and Local Government - Dashed Expectations

Encyclopedia of Digital Government ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-789-8.ch068 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 448-454

Author(s):

P. J. Smith

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

United Kingdom ◽

Local Government ◽

Local Governments ◽

Local Level ◽

The United States ◽

Political Activity ◽

Information And Communications Technologies ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Electronic Democracy

This article examines the impact of information and communications technologies (ICTs) on electronic democracy at the local government level. It concentrates on measures taken by local governments in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to transform their relationship to citizens by means of e-democracy. The emphasis on democracy is particularly important in an era when governments at all levels are said to be facing a democratic deficit (Hale, Musso, & Weare, 1999; Juillet & Paquet, 2001). Yet, as this article argues by means of an examination of the available evidence in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, e-democracy has failed to deepen democracy at the local level, this at a time when local government is said to be becoming more important in people’s lives (Mälkiä & Savolainen, 2004). The first part of the article briefly summarizes the arguments on behalf of the growing importance of the city as a major locus of economic and political activity. It then discusses how e-democracy relates to e-government in general. Next, it discusses the normative relationship between two models of democracy and ICTs. The article then reviews the evidence to date of e-democracy at the local level of government in the aforementioned countries. Finally, it discusses why e-democracy has not lived up to expectations highlighting the dominance of neo-liberalism.

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Case Study From the United Kingdom

Well-Being: Expanding the Definition of Progress ◽

10.1093/oso/9780190080495.003.0015 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 201-208

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

United Kingdom ◽

Social Cohesion ◽

Local Governments ◽

Daily Life ◽

Well Being ◽

Local Scale ◽

Green Spaces ◽

The United Kingdom

For most people, well-being is understood and experienced at a local scale. Their community or city is where housing, green spaces, social cohesion, mental health, and many other vital elements of well-being play out in daily life. Local governments and other stakeholders also tend to be the most willing and able to try innovative approaches. Local wins, in turn, inform and inspire action in other areas and often build to national change....

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The Influence of Administrative Culture on Sustainability Transparency in European Local Governments

Administration & Society ◽

10.1177/0095399715616838 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 50 (4) ◽

pp. 555-594 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

David Ortiz-Rodríguez ◽

Andrés Navarro-Galera ◽

Francisco J. Alcaraz-Quiles

Keyword(s):

United Kingdom ◽

Empirical Study ◽

Local Governments ◽

Public Policies ◽

Southern Europe ◽

Financial Factors ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Administrative Culture ◽

Administrative Tradition

Although the transparency and sustainability of governments are currently of great interest to researchers, few studies have specifically addressed these issues. Nevertheless, previous research has found sustainability transparency as a key issue in government–citizen relations, especially for local governments (LGs). The aim of this article is to identify factors that promote online transparency regarding the sustainability of public policies, by means of an empirical study of 62 LGs in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Southern Europe. Our results show that the prevailing administrative tradition may influence the degree of transparency of LGs, with population, socioeconomic, and financial factors being relevant.

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Rethinking Performance Management Practices in Local Administrations? An Evaluation of BV, CPA, And WPI Practices in the United Kingdom

Foundations of Management ◽

10.2478/fman-2018-0008 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 87-98 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Demokaan Demirel

Keyword(s):

United Kingdom ◽

Performance Management ◽

Political Institutions ◽

Local Governments ◽

Management Practices ◽

Central Government ◽

Local Level ◽

Local Area ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Local Actors

AbstractPerformance is a fundamental tool that improves results oriented on public administration. Performance management applications have become very popular in public institutions over the past 20 years. Direct accountability to the political institutions and the public is ensured by defining the performance of public administrations according to their organizational goals and objectives. Local governments are using performance management practices to assess the quality of public services offered. In the United Kingdom, performance management practices at the local level were promoted under the leadership of the central government. However, there cannot be a certain standardization or stability in performance management applications. The Best Value (BV) regime was applied primarily in England and Wales. The system was later applied in Scotland in 2003. In 2002, Comprehensive Performance Assessment (CPA) Programme was introduced. Wales preferred to stay outside of this program. The Wales Programme for Improvement (WPI) has adopted self-assessment and holistic assessment. After 2009, the cost-effectiveness of local services was evaluated through comprehensive area assessments. This practice was abolished after 2010, adopting a governance approach based on the common negotiations of local actors. This study aims to evaluate the performance measurement systems applied in the local area in the United Kingdom.

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E-Democracy and Local Government - Dashed Expectations

Electronic Government ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-947-2.ch129 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 1708-1717 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Peter J. Smith

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

United Kingdom ◽

Local Government ◽

Local Governments ◽

Local Level ◽

The United States ◽

Political Activity ◽

Information And Communications Technologies ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Electronic Democracy

This article examines the impact of information and communications technologies (ICTs) on electronic democracy at the local government level. It concentrates on measures taken by local governments in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom to transform their relationship to citizens by means of e-democracy. The emphasis on democracy is particularly important in an era when governments at all levels are said to be facing a democratic deficit (Hale, Musso, & Weare, 1999; Juillet & Paquet, 2001). Yet, as this article argues by means of an examination of the available evidence in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, e-democracy has failed to deepen democracy at the local level, this at a time when local government is said to be becoming more important in people’s lives (Mälkiä & Savolainen, 2004). The first part of the article briefly summarizes the arguments on behalf of the growing importance of the city as a major locus of economic and political activity. It then discusses how e-democracy relates to e-government in general. Next, it discusses the normative relationship between two models of democracy and ICTs. The article then reviews the evidence to date of e-democracy at the local level of government in the aforementioned countries. Finally, it discusses why e-democracy has not lived up to expectations highlighting the dominance of neo-liberalism.

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Understanding Local Government Responses to Fiscal Pressure: a Cross National Analysis

Journal of Public Policy ◽

10.1017/s0143814x00005936 ◽

1983 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 245-263 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Harold Wolman

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

United Kingdom ◽

Local Government ◽

Local Governments ◽

The United States ◽

Local Responses ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Equilibrium Relationships ◽

National Analysis ◽

Fiscal Pressure

ABSTRACTFiscally pressured local governments face the same basic choices in both the United States and the United Kingdom: whether to increase locally raised revenues in order to maintain existing services or to reduce local services. The article first posits a model of local government decision-making in response to fiscal pressure drawn primarily from organizational and systems theory. Local governments are viewed as organizations concerned with maintaining their equilibrium relationships with their external environment (public employees and their unions). The model suggests a series of hypotheses about how local government will respond to fiscal pressure. Case studies of fiscally pressured local governments in both the United States and the United Kingdom are then utilized to describe actual local responses and to assess the usefulness of the model. The article concludes by setting forth a rough hierarchy of preferred local responses.

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Climate Emergency—Climate Action Planning and Delivery Recommendations

Journal of Science Policy & Governance ◽

10.38126/jspg180205 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (02) ◽

Author(s):

Anna-Mariya Kandzhova ◽

Iris Šömen ◽

Jorge Jiménez Solomon ◽

Rodon Miraj

Keyword(s):

United Kingdom ◽

Comparative Analysis ◽

Local Governments ◽

Action Planning ◽

National Government ◽

Action Plans ◽

Local Policy ◽

Policy Responses ◽

The United Kingdom ◽

Climate Action

In 2019, the United Kingdom (UK) became one of the first countries to declare a climate emergency. In this regard, many local governments in the country (which encompass districts, unitary counties, boroughs, and councils) have taken the lead to declare a climate emergency. Only a few local authorities developed and issued plans with specific actions on achieving the targets of their declared emergencies. The following policy memo sheds light upon the most pressing challenges in climate emergency action planning. A preceding comparative analysis (Kandzhova et. al., 2020) revealed that the currently published action plans differ considerably in structure, detailedness and overall approaches. The lack of standardisation of climate action planning from either the national government or other responsible institutions leads to varying local policy responses. The preceding analysis identified the most pertinent challenges to be in the areas of 1) securing finance; 2) social inclusiveness and equality; and 3) realisation of co-benefits of action plans. We present recommendations for each of the aforementioned areas.

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