Citizens’ attitudes towards local autonomy and inter-local cooperation: evidence from Western Europe

Recent decades have seen a strengthening of local autonomy in many European states. At the same time, local governance capacities were strengthened through intermunicipal structures and territorial consolidation to prepare local authorities for additional tasks. In this paper, we assess what citizens think about strengthening local autonomy and strengthening inter-local cooperation. We argue that citizens’ attitudes towards local autonomy and inter-local cooperation are a function of their behavioural, emotional and ideological connection to the local. Using data from a population-based survey in eight West European metropolitan areas in France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK, we show that local autonomy and inter-local cooperation supporters have divergent ideological positions concerning the allocation of political authority across state scales. Inter-local cooperation is supported by voters of new progressive left parties but opposed by right-wing nationalist partisans—who in contrast favour local autonomy. This suggests that the demarcation–integration divide which structures citizens’ attitudes towards international integration also matters for subnational and local governance reforms.

Jahrbuch des Föderalismus 2021

The 22nd volume of the yearbook is designed as a broad compendium providing a current overview of various aspects of federal and regional polity, politics and policies. The total of 32 articles relate to following sections: Twelve articles on the main topic, federal management of the COVID-19 pandemic (i.a. Minister of Health Jens Spahn). Three articles deal with current issues of federalism research (i.a. on the pandemic’s impact on federalist theory and fiscal federalism). Five articles focus on German federalism (i.a. on the German EU-Presidency). Five European country reports (i.a. Russia, Spain and UK). Three articles deal with regional and local cooperation in Europe (i.a. on the closure of EU-borders in 2020/2021). Two articles on the European Union/European Integration (i.a. on the COVID-19 budget package).

The Forum of Local Initiatives of Warmia and Mazury as a space for intercultural education’s development

The Forum of Local Initiatives of Warmia and Mazury (FIL WM) is one of the leading projects from the range of social both integration and animation organized in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship in 2010–2020 by the Association of Social Animators Forum from Warmia and Mazury. It is being realised based on the idea of social amination popularized by the Local Activity Support Center. It creates a multistranded space for animators’ and educators’ dialogue, including a place for: exchange of ideas and experiences about cultural education and its role in the development of the social potential of Warmia and Mazury; building a local cooperation network for the protection and multiplication of the cultural heritage of the region and searching for new methods and forms of work in the field of intercultural education, and also regional and artistic education. The article presents an analysis of this space along with its individual elements, and also a description of the program and organizational assumptions of the FIL WM.

Prospects and Challenges in Creating Metro-Governments: The Case of Metro-Vigan Initiative in the Philippines

Local problems that go beyond jurisdictional boundaries such as; traffic congestions, pollution, garbage collection and disposal, environmental degradation, flooding, criminalities, pandemic, and other public health issues are readily seen and felt in urban areas today. To effectively address these inter-local problems, the establishment of metropolitan organizations has become a necessity. One of the primary functions of metro government is to manage the affairs of urban growth particularly in addressing the problems that go beyond the geographical boundaries of local governments. As a developmental strategy among adjacent local government units, metropolization requires a rules-based approach in order to effectively govern and address inter-local government problems and concerns.The common issues that metro governments deal with include urban growth areas development, controlling urban sprawl and its effects like pollution, solid waste disposal, traffic congestion and others. The rationale behind setting-up a single authority among local government units is to deal with inter-local concerns which cannot be efficiently and effectively addressed by disjointed actions of individual local government.The study looked into the state of inter-local relations among the eight component-local government units of the Metro Vigan Coordinating Council (MVCC). It identifies the common problems that transcend the geographical boundaries of the local government units as well as the common development potentials that can be optimized through inter-local cooperation. It highlighted the legal, institutional, and financial challenges of the Metro-Vigan initiative, and offers recommendation to deepen and broaden the inter-local cooperation.