Fiscal Consolidations in Polish Local Governments in the Period 2008–2016: Course and Causes

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 71-96
Author(s):  
Łukasz Wiktor Olejnik

The article presents strategies of fiscal consolidations conducted in Poland in cities with powiat rights, and a study of causes behind the decision to conduct such fiscal consolidations. Local governments showing an improvement of their public finances have been distinguished; and based on that, a description of various methods of reduction of expenditures, deficit or debt in Polish local governments has been presented. An analysis of data shows the dominance of consolidations on the revenue side. The study has identified few cases of expenditure cuts, and they mostly included investments, public transport and housing expenditures. Besides the description of data concerning fiscal consolidations, the article also presents a multivariate probit regression model and logistic regression model estimated based on panel data aimed at studying the determinants of conducting financial consolidations in a given local government. The hypotheses that macroeconomic variables and the election cycle have a statistically significant effect on the decision to conduct consolidation have been  positively verified; whereas the hypothesis that other political factors significantly affect the probability of improvement of the financial situation of a local government have been verified negatively.

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Janet F. Phillips ◽  
Pamela J. Strickland

The purpose of this study is to explore the commitment of local governments to environmental programs when fiscal distress is predicted. We hypothesize that commitment to environmental programs diminishes when the local government is experiencing fiscal distress. The regression model results indicate that local governments with high levels of debt were less likely to I mplement environmental programs and that a larger population and higher revenue are factors directly related to the commitment of local government to environmental programs. Communities that are more populous and less fiscally stressed are more likely to benefit from a local government that implements and sustains environmental programs. These results have implications for the stakeholders of local communities and broader implications for the global effort toward environmental protection and sustainable communities.


2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Navarro-Galera ◽  
Dionisio Buendía-Carrillo ◽  
Juan Lara-Rubio ◽  
Salvador Rayo-Cantón

High levels of debt, provoked by a situation of economic and financial crisis, constitute a major threat to the financial sustainability of governments in the euro zone and in many other parts of the world. This delicate state of public finances also affects local governments and has led researchers to study the variables that influence the volume of bank debt. However, few have specifically analysed the causes of local government default, although it has provoked spending cutbacks and tax increases in many countries. The aim of this paper is to examine political factors that may increase the risk of local government default. Using a logit model for panel data and applying the Basel II rules, we studied the financial performance of large local Spanish governments for the period 2006-2011. Our empirical findings reveal four political factors that may increase the risk of default (the mayor’sknowledge of finance and economics, a low percentage of women councillors, a left-wing ideology and ideological alignment with the regional government).These findings are of great interest for stakeholders who may be affected by local government default, including voters, taxpayers, users of public services, managers, policymakers, financial institutions, creditors, fiscal authorities and central government.


Author(s):  
Eva Anggara Yunita

This study aims to find out which factors have strong impact to the financial report publications on local government websites, due to the requirements of Good Government Governance, among others the principle of transparency and accountability. District/city governments in Central Java were selected as samples by consideration of the achievements and awards achieved related to transparency, accountability, and compliance. The variables used in this study were political competition, tenure, BPK audit options, total assets, leverage, and direct expenditure. Using Stata probit regression analysis tool, the results showed that the local governments in Central Java were in the increase of transparency and accountability stage, where this showed the success of the regional autonomy mission. There were upward trend of audit opinions and financial report publications on local government websites. All variables insufficiently affected internet publication of financial report The political map did not become disincentive for local heads in order to increase the transparency of financial reporting


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antung Deddy Radiansyah

Gaps in biodiversity conservation management within the Conservation Area that are the responsibility of the central government and outside the Conservation Areas or as the Essential Ecosystems Area (EEA) which are the authority of the Regional Government, have caused various spatial conflicts between wildlife /wild plants and land management activities. Several obstacles faced by the Local Government to conduct its authority to manage (EEA), caused the number and area of EEA determined by the Local Government to be still low. At present only 703,000 ha are determined from the 67 million ha indicated by EEA. This study aims to overview biodiversity conservation policies by local governments and company perceptions in implementing conservation policies and formulate strategies for optimizing the role of Local Governments. From the results of this study, there has not been found any legal umbrella for the implementation of Law number 23/ 2014 related to the conservation of important ecosystems in the regions. This regulatory vacuum leaves the local government in a dilemma for continuing various conservation programs. By using a SWOT to the internal strategic environment and external stratetegic environment of the Environment and Forestry Service, Bengkulu Province , as well as using an analysis of company perceptions of the conservation policies regulatary , this study has been formulated a “survival strategy” through collaboration between the Central Government, Local Governments and the Private Sector to optimize the role of Local Government’s to establish EEA in the regions.Keywords: Management gaps, Essential Ecosystems Area (EEA), Conservation Areas, SWOT analysis and perception analysis


2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 388-407
Author(s):  
Patricio Gigli ◽  
◽  
Donatela Orsi ◽  
Marisel Martín Aramburú ◽  
◽  
...  

This paper aims at describing the experience of the Cities for Entrepreneurs Program (Ciudades para Emprender or CPE) of the National Directorate of Community and Human Capital (which belongs to the SEPYME), National Ministry of Production. This paper starts from the premise that entrepreneurship takes place at the most micro level of the offer and, therefore, is a concept associated with the characteristics of the environment closest to that offer: the local territory. However, there is little history in the country of public policies relating the issue of entrepreneurship with the local management. That is why we take as a starting point the conceptualization of the chosen framework: local governments and the development issue, seen from the perspective of entrepreneurships. Moreover, an overview is given on the structural characteristics of municipalities in Argentina. In addition, some international experiences and attempts to promote entrepreneurship at a national level are analyzed. Finally, the Cities for Entrepreneurs Program (CPE) is outlined, based on a summary of the diagnoses of the Entrepreneurial Ecosystems of the selected cities and the tools used and their execution status at the time of publication of this paper.


e-Finanse ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 12-21
Author(s):  
Beata Zofia Filipiak ◽  
Marek Dylewski

AbstractThe purpose of the article is analysis of participatory budgets as a tool for shaping decisions of local communities on the use of public funds. The authors ask the question of whether the current practice of using the participatory budget is actually a growing trend in local government finances or, after the initial euphoria resulting from participation, society ceased to notice the real possibilities of influencing the directions of public expenditures as an opportunity to legislate public policies implemented. It is expected that the conducted research will allow us to evaluate the participatory budget and indicate whether this tool practically acts as a stimulus for changes in the scope of tasks under public policies. The authors analyzed and evaluated the announced competitions for projects as part of the procedure for elaborating participatory budgeting for selected LGUs. Then, they carried out an in-depth analysis of the data used to assess real social participation in the process of establishing social policies.


e-Finanse ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 67-75
Author(s):  
Adam Mateusz Suchecki

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.


Management ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 373-387
Author(s):  
Joanna Snopko

Abstract Organisational Structure of Municipal Offices - Key Determinats The multitude of tasks and problem issued faced by local governments necessitates their evolution towards improvement of the existing organisational structures. Comparison of the existing organisational structures of various municipal offices could create a misleading that their organizational structures do not undergo any transformations. In reality, the type of an organisational structure remains unchanged while its elements change very frequently. These changes are activated when, according to the office management, they do not ensure proper performance of tasks faced by local government administration and appropriate customer service. Also note that, in the applied solutions, there is a strive for perfection which can be noticed, in a sense. It expresses the concept that this is not a structure which can effectively play its role today and is prepared for challenges of tomorrow. However, the process of transformations has not developed any new solutions. To this end, the local government must develop organisational structures appropriate for identifying and reaching its objectives. For this reason, it’s worthwhile to consider solutions which combine elements of the existing and modern solutions or address new opportunities created by process-oriented structures. However, these transformations must, first and foremost, cause a transformation of bureaucratic-style municipal offices into modern organisations which apply modern methods of management. These are organisations which introduce deep-reaching organisational changes, i.e. transform their hierarchic interorganisational relations into more partner relations and transform their structural solutions into more flexible solutions as well as change their employees’ way of thinking. Without such transformations in local government, municipal offices will be still referred to as bureaucracy and civil servants as bureaucrats.


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