scholarly journals Comparative Local Governance: Lessons from New Zealand for Japan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Harufumi Shiba
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Financial Economic ◽  
Policy Transfer ◽  
Power Balance ◽  
Local Authorities

<p><b>This study concerns local governance in Japan and whether lessons can be derived from New Zealand and other countries. There are significant differences in the constitutional arrangements of Japan and New Zealand and the history and cultural influences that shape local governance in each country. The case studies, which compare three different policy areas in both countries, confirm, however, the usefulness of the comparative analysis.</b></p> <p>This is not a parallel comparison; the focus is more on lesson learning from different systems and styles of local administrations. The Japanese local government sector is more subject to control and guidance from the centre. A premise of this study is that that a greater degree of autonomy for local government in Japan will be beneficial.</p> <p> ‘Governance’ is a term used in different ways in many contexts. In this study emphasis is placed on the ‘means for achieving direction, control and coordination of individual or organizational units on behalf of their common interests’ (Hill and Lynn Jr, 2004, p. 6). It is associated with the notion of ‘steering’ rather than ‘rowing (Osborne and Gaebler, 1993). Governance is not synonymous with government. In a decentralised environment, local governance concerns the way different interests are settled among, broadly, central government, local authorities and communities.</p> <p> The power balance among central government, local authorities and communities is at the centre of analysis in this study. Six case studies in roading administration, environmental management and emergency management identify characteristics of the so-called ‘strong’ Japanese state while revealing both positives and potential pitfalls of autonomous local governance in New Zealand. Each of the cases is assessed against five criteria ― local capability, responsiveness, coordination, sustainability and financial/economic viability ― and classified as one of eight hypothetical governance ‘types’. Imposed relationships are often observed in Japan, which is contrasted with more consensual multilateral interactions in New Zealand. Constituents of the Japanese power balance include constant administrative guidance (gyosei shido), human resource management (including amakudari) and other ‘informal enforcement’, whereas devolution, contracts and strategic guidance are more conspicuous in New Zealand.</p> <p>Breaking the inertia of age-old practices in Japan would not be an easy task as unsuccessful attempts to reform local government in the past indicate. Political and administrative interests at both agent and institutional levels are inevitably involved. The power balance results not only from strict hierarchy and longstanding institutional influences from the centre, but also from the passiveness of local authorities and communities. Altering the power balance and the nature of local governance can be triggered and sustained in various ways: New Zealand experiences through policy transfer examined in this study can provide useful insights.</p>

scholarly journals Comparative Local Governance: Lessons from New Zealand for Japan

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Harufumi Shiba
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Cultural Influences ◽  
Financial Economic ◽  
Policy Transfer ◽  
Power Balance ◽  
Local Authorities

<p><b>This study concerns local governance in Japan and whether lessons can be derived from New Zealand and other countries. There are significant differences in the constitutional arrangements of Japan and New Zealand and the history and cultural influences that shape local governance in each country. The case studies, which compare three different policy areas in both countries, confirm, however, the usefulness of the comparative analysis.</b></p> <p>This is not a parallel comparison; the focus is more on lesson learning from different systems and styles of local administrations. The Japanese local government sector is more subject to control and guidance from the centre. A premise of this study is that that a greater degree of autonomy for local government in Japan will be beneficial.</p> <p> ‘Governance’ is a term used in different ways in many contexts. In this study emphasis is placed on the ‘means for achieving direction, control and coordination of individual or organizational units on behalf of their common interests’ (Hill and Lynn Jr, 2004, p. 6). It is associated with the notion of ‘steering’ rather than ‘rowing (Osborne and Gaebler, 1993). Governance is not synonymous with government. In a decentralised environment, local governance concerns the way different interests are settled among, broadly, central government, local authorities and communities.</p> <p> The power balance among central government, local authorities and communities is at the centre of analysis in this study. Six case studies in roading administration, environmental management and emergency management identify characteristics of the so-called ‘strong’ Japanese state while revealing both positives and potential pitfalls of autonomous local governance in New Zealand. Each of the cases is assessed against five criteria ― local capability, responsiveness, coordination, sustainability and financial/economic viability ― and classified as one of eight hypothetical governance ‘types’. Imposed relationships are often observed in Japan, which is contrasted with more consensual multilateral interactions in New Zealand. Constituents of the Japanese power balance include constant administrative guidance (gyosei shido), human resource management (including amakudari) and other ‘informal enforcement’, whereas devolution, contracts and strategic guidance are more conspicuous in New Zealand.</p> <p>Breaking the inertia of age-old practices in Japan would not be an easy task as unsuccessful attempts to reform local government in the past indicate. Political and administrative interests at both agent and institutional levels are inevitably involved. The power balance results not only from strict hierarchy and longstanding institutional influences from the centre, but also from the passiveness of local authorities and communities. Altering the power balance and the nature of local governance can be triggered and sustained in various ways: New Zealand experiences through policy transfer examined in this study can provide useful insights.</p>

scholarly journals In Search of a Treaty Partner: Who, or What, is 'the Crown'?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Janine Alyth Deaker Hayward
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Future Development ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Unique Position ◽  
Treaty Of Waitangi

<p>In New Zealand, 'the Crown' is frequently referred to in contemporary discourse relating to the Treaty of Waitangi. This thesis investigates the identity of 'the Crown' as a treaty partner with Maori. There are major problems in identifying the Crown, and these problems have serious implications for the 'Maori' treaty partner. First, there is a problem of consistency in the identity of the Crown. Analysis shows that a range of institutions and individuals involved in the negotiation of treaty issues in contemporary New Zealand society is identified as 'the Crown'. The application of theoretical analysis of the role of symbols in politics shows that the Crown symbol is frequently used and widely applied in treaty debate. This is, it is argued, because use of 'the Crown' brings legitimacy and authority to the actions and policies of those entities it identifies. The flexibility and popularity of 'the Crown' symbol creates a problem for Maori, however, because 'the Crown' is not consistently naming the same thing. There is a second major and interrelating problem: the evolution of the Crown. In 1840, 'the Crown' title was used in relation to the Queen, and later was used to describe settler government. Most recently 'the Crown' has come to incorporate local and regional as well as central government. This evolution in the identity of the Crown has frustrated attempts by Maori to identify and negotiate with their treaty partner. In particular, case studies of local government and resource management law reforms in New Zealand demonstrate that Maori themselves have attempted to resist the evolution of the Crown and assert their own interpretation of the appropriate identity for their treaty partner. Having demonstrated the problems of 'the Crown' as well as the frequency of its use, there is the question of the broader constitutional relationship between Māori and the Crown to consider. A discussion of the role of the Crown in Canada illustrates some of the points made earlier in the thesis and demonstrates the unique position of the Crown in New Zealand. In addition, it is argued with regard to constitutional reforms facing New Zealand in the 1990s, that the future development of New Zealand's rapidly evolving constitution must consider the particular relationship between Maori and the Crown.</p>

scholarly journals In Search of a Treaty Partner: Who, or What, is 'the Crown'?

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Janine Alyth Deaker Hayward
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Resource Management ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Theoretical Analysis ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Future Development ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Unique Position ◽  
Treaty Of Waitangi

<p>In New Zealand, 'the Crown' is frequently referred to in contemporary discourse relating to the Treaty of Waitangi. This thesis investigates the identity of 'the Crown' as a treaty partner with Maori. There are major problems in identifying the Crown, and these problems have serious implications for the 'Maori' treaty partner. First, there is a problem of consistency in the identity of the Crown. Analysis shows that a range of institutions and individuals involved in the negotiation of treaty issues in contemporary New Zealand society is identified as 'the Crown'. The application of theoretical analysis of the role of symbols in politics shows that the Crown symbol is frequently used and widely applied in treaty debate. This is, it is argued, because use of 'the Crown' brings legitimacy and authority to the actions and policies of those entities it identifies. The flexibility and popularity of 'the Crown' symbol creates a problem for Maori, however, because 'the Crown' is not consistently naming the same thing. There is a second major and interrelating problem: the evolution of the Crown. In 1840, 'the Crown' title was used in relation to the Queen, and later was used to describe settler government. Most recently 'the Crown' has come to incorporate local and regional as well as central government. This evolution in the identity of the Crown has frustrated attempts by Maori to identify and negotiate with their treaty partner. In particular, case studies of local government and resource management law reforms in New Zealand demonstrate that Maori themselves have attempted to resist the evolution of the Crown and assert their own interpretation of the appropriate identity for their treaty partner. Having demonstrated the problems of 'the Crown' as well as the frequency of its use, there is the question of the broader constitutional relationship between Māori and the Crown to consider. A discussion of the role of the Crown in Canada illustrates some of the points made earlier in the thesis and demonstrates the unique position of the Crown in New Zealand. In addition, it is argued with regard to constitutional reforms facing New Zealand in the 1990s, that the future development of New Zealand's rapidly evolving constitution must consider the particular relationship between Maori and the Crown.</p>

scholarly journals Legal and Institutional Framework: The “Achilles Heel” Of Local Authorities and Raison D’etre of Ministerial Intervention in Zimbabwe

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alois Madhekeni ◽  
Gideon Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Local Authority ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Institutional Framework ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Independent Media

Centre-local relations have been an area of controversy in Zimbabwean local governance both as a discipline and as a practice. Local authorities have traded blows with central government particularly accusing the responsible Ministry of reducing them to spectators in their own field through excessive ministerial intervention. Meanwhile the ministry of local government has cracked the whip on local authorities accusing them of mismanagement and compromised service delivery. The independent media has described the scenario as a “Bloodbath” in local authorities. What appears to be misconstrued by many however is the fact that the governing legal and institutional framework of local governance in Zimbabwe provides room for the responsible Minister to legally enable or disable local authority administration. This governing framework has been and is still the “Achilles heel” of local authorities and the raison d’être of ministerial intervention in Zimbabwe.

PERIMBANGAN KEUANGAN ANTARA PEMERINTAH PUSAT DENGAN PEMERINTAH DAERAH DALAM PENGELOLAAN KEUANGAN DAERAH

2016 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Edward Hutagalung
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Fiscal Capacity ◽  
Regional Autonomy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Delegation Of Authority ◽  
Regional Authority ◽  
Local Sources ◽  
Tax Sharing

The fi nancial relationship between central and local government can be defi ned as a system that regulates how some funds were divided among various levels of government as well as how to fi ndsources of local empowerment to support the activities of the public sector.Fiscal decentralization is the delegation of authority granted by the central government to theregions to make policy in the area of   fi nancial management.One of the main pillars of regional autonomy is a regional authority to independently manage thefi nancial area. State of Indonesia as a unitary state of Indonesia adheres to a combination of elementsof recognition for local authorities to independently manage fi nances combined with the element oftransferring fi scal authority and supervision of the fi scal policy area.General Allocation Fund an area allocated on the basis of the fi scal gap and basic allocation whilethe fi scal gap is reduced by the fi scal needs of local fi scal capacity. Fiscal capacity of local sources offunding that comes from the area of   regional revenue and Tax Sharing Funds outside the ReforestationFund.The results showed that the strengthening of local fi scal capacity is in line with regional autonomy.

scholarly journals Examination of Statements of Service Performance of New Zealand Local Authorities: the Case of Wastewater Services

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Prae Keerasuntonpong
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Service Performance ◽  
Conceptual Level ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Accounting Standard ◽  
The Public ◽  
Performance Reporting ◽  
Auditor General

<p>The provision of statements of service performance (SSPs) by local government in New Zealand is a product of the economic reforms carried out in the late 1980s. A statement of service performance is regarded as an important document of New Zealand local government reporting. It is statutorily required by the Local Government Act 2002 and complemented by accounting guidance provided by the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants (NZICA), with the objective of strengthening accountability obligations (Local Government Act 2002, s. 98; NZICA, 2002). In spite of twenty years‟ experience in preparing statements of service performance, the Office of the Auditor-General (OAG) (2008) criticised that the quality of SSPs prepared by local authorities (and other public-sector entities) was poor. A fundamental problem of statements of service performance reporting is the lack of comprehensive authoritative requirements on their preparation and presentation (Office of the Auditor-General, 2008). Arguably, the present authoritative requirements have been written to cater for the needs of large, profit-oriented entities in the private-sector rather than for the public-sector‟s specific needs for performance reporting and pitched at a higher or more conceptual level than is typically required for financial reporting standards (Office of the Auditor-General, 2008, Webster, 2007). This may be due to the fact that the current authoritative requirements, developed in early 1990s, have been influenced by the economic framework highlighting the decision-usefulness purpose of private-sector reporting, which is not suitable for public-sector reporting (Mack, 2003; Parker & Gould, 1999). Responding to the need for more adequate guidance for non-financial performance reporting of public-sector entities, the OAG and the International Public Sector Accounting Standards Board (IPSASB) are working on improving accounting guidance applicable for the preparation for SSP reporting by public-sector entities (Office of the Auditor-General, 2010; International Public Sector Accounting Standard Board, 2010). Pallot (1992) points out that accountability is the preferred purpose for public-sector reporting since the nature of the relationship between providers and users of government is non-voluntary. Past theoretical literature has attempted to define the possible components of accountability that would be suitable for public-sector entities to adequately discharge their accountability. Among them, Stewart (1984) has developed accountability bases, which provide a platform for understanding accountability expectations and, hence desirable characteristics of any accountability documents provided by public-sector entities for the public. It is possible that accountability documents pertaining to these accountability expectations will enable the public-sector entities to adequately discharge their accountability. New Zealand local government is the important second tier of New Zealand government sector. Among the wide range of community services provided by New Zealand local authorities, wastewater services represent one of the most crucial services. New Zealand constituents could be expected to be concerned not only about the performance of wastewater services provided by their local authorities, but also with the disclosures about that performance. However, the research on SSP wastewater disclosures by New Zealand local authorities is limited (Smith & Coy, 2000). Given the criticism on the usefulness of authoritative requirements for SSP reporting and the recognition of accountability expectations by the literature, the first two objectives of this study are to examine the consistency of SSP disclosures, regarding wastewater services provided by New Zealand local authorities, with the existing authoritative requirements, and the accountability expectations, using the disclosure index as a measurement tool. To understand possible explanations for the cross-sectional differences on the extent of disclosures, according to the authoritative requirements and accountability expectations, the third objective of this study is to examine the influential factors of the disclosures, using multiple regression analysis. The study finds that the performance disclosures made by the local authorities have low levels of correspondence with the index that is based on the authoritative requirements. The result also provides evidence that the current authoritative requirements are focused on financial information reporting and pitched at a high conceptual level. This supports the view that the existing authoritative pronouncements are not providing sufficient guidance for local authorities. The index based on accountability expectations has relatively greater correspondence with the disclosures made. This identifies that local authorities are providing information consistent with accountability expectations. The study suggests that accountability expectations provide a model suitable for SSP reporting guidance. According to the multiple regression analysis, the result shows that only size is significantly related to the extent of the disclosures. Larger local authorities report more corresponding information. The findings of this study provide three immediate implications which should be useful to: (i) accounting standard-setters for their current work on improving accounting guidance for SSP reporting; (ii) the Office of the Auditor-General for providing more insightful comments in the audit statement for SSP reporting; and (iii) regulators for increased attention on some special local authorities. By doing so, it is expected that New Zealand local authorities may lead the world in providing comprehensive SSPs, which enable them to adequately discharge their accountability and, hence in reaching a reform principle for greater accountability.</p>

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.

Blue, White, and Red Heat

Boom Cities ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 35-63
Author(s):  
Otto Saumarez Smith
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Central Government ◽  
Central Area ◽  
Public Private Partnerships ◽  
Initial Reaction ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Area Redevelopment ◽  
Planning Group ◽  
City Centres

This chapter looks at central government’s role in directing the way in which local authorities enacted central-area redevelopment schemes. It shows how modernist ideas were sustained by a broadly consensual cross-party political culture in central government. It shows how the Joint Urban Planning Group, set up within the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, provided guidance to local authorities in how to form public–private partnerships to redevelop their city centres. The last section discusses the fate of these ideas during Labour’s first term after the 1964 election, and argues for an economic explanation of the initial reaction against modernist approaches to the built environment.

scholarly journals New directions in New Zealand local government

2010 ◽  
pp. 158-175 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter McKinlay
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Economies Of Scale ◽  
New Public Management ◽  
Business Community ◽  
Local Authorities ◽  
Proper Role ◽  
Starting Point

The purpose of this paper is to provide a ‘work in progress’ report on some initiatives emerging from local government practice in New Zealand which should help us consider how we think about the role of local government in a world which is undergoing dramatic change. The starting point is work which the writer undertook with the support of Local Government New Zealand (the national association) and a number of New Zealand councils considering the ‘proper role’ of local government. The context is an ongoing public debate driven substantially by the New Zealand business community from a perspective that this ‘proper role’ should be restricted to the delivery of local public goods, narrowly defined. This has included argument that local governments themselves should be structured substantially to promote the efficient delivery of services generally within the now well understood prescriptions of the ‘new public management’. One implication which the business sector in particular drew in looking at the workings of local government was that there should be economies of scale through further amalgamation of councils (the local government sector having been through a major amalgamation process in 1989 which eliminated a large number of special purpose authorities and reduced the number of territorial local authorities from more than 200 to 73). Debate continues, with the latest manifestation being the National Party led government's proposals for the restructuring of local government within the Auckland region, New Zealand's major metropolitan area. The initiatives discussed in this paper are partly a response, but more significantly a result of selected local authorities reflecting on the nature of their role, and the opportunities for being proactive in using their statutory privileges in ways that could produce benefits for their communities without any associated increase in the cost of local government itself.

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