Michael Tumanut | University of the Philippines Diliman (original) (raw)
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Papers by Michael Tumanut
One of the most notable developments in local governance in the Philippines since the enactment o... more One of the most notable developments in local governance in the Philippines since the enactment of the Local Government Code of 1991 has been in the area of inter-local cooperation. This largely entails cooperation between and among local government units across political and administrative boundaries to address common concerns, when tackled alone, an LGU is unable to adequately address. This may entail cooperation in addressing economic, environment, health and other concerns. This paper discusses the issues and concerns in operationalization of such intergovernmental cooperation and suggests some policy interventions that may be adopted to refine, strengthen and institutionalize such cooperative arrangements towards the collective goal of better governance at the local level.
Indonesia has been prolific in creating local governments since 1999. This article reexamines pro... more Indonesia has been prolific in creating local governments since 1999. This article reexamines provincial division in Indonesia and proposes a Veto players (VP) Theory of territorial reform, a function of the interplay of a number of VPs, their cohesion, and congruence of VP preferences. Using comparative analysis and process tracing of successful and failed cases through key informant interviews and secondary materials, Indonesia is found to have large but decisive VPs, where the direction of reform is contingent on the preferences of local players through territorial leveraging or opportunism. They are political elites who are supported by social movements whose preferences run parallel with the former. Despite a large absolute number of VPs, territorial reform was achieved due to smaller effective number of VPs (via established executive-legislative relations), due to mirroring and manipulation of preferences through side payments and other strategic behaviors (lobbying and social mobilization), and through reciprocity norms of patronage and personal linkages.
Local governments are ubiquitous politico-administrative units that affect the lives of local com... more Local governments are ubiquitous politico-administrative units that affect the lives of local communities in various aspects, particularly service delivery, taxation, and political participation. When citizens are enveloped in these omnipresent units, one wonders: who decides in creating or changing local political boundaries, and how are decisions made? Local territorial reform in the Philippines is predominantly characterized by fragmentation. Municipal amalgamation is an extraordinary case in Philippine history. The literature on territorial reorganization, particularly on municipal amalgamation, is scant. Municipal amalgamation—particularly its nature, and politics—has not been comprehensively investigated in the Philippines. Accordingly, the main thrust of this study is to explain why and how municipalities consolidated in the Philippines. Put differently, it is puzzling how a municipal government, with its local administrative authorities and residents, was able to bequeath territory, authority and autonomy to join a new consolidated local government.
One of the most notable developments in local governance in the Philippines since the enactment o... more One of the most notable developments in local governance in the Philippines since the enactment of the Local Government Code of 1991 has been in the area of inter-local cooperation. This largely entails cooperation between and among local government units across political and administrative boundaries to address common concerns, when tackled alone, an LGU is unable to adequately address. This may entail cooperation in addressing economic, environment, health and other concerns. This paper discusses the issues and concerns in operationalization of such intergovernmental cooperation and suggests some policy interventions that may be adopted to refine, strengthen and institutionalize such cooperative arrangements towards the collective goal of better governance at the local level.
Indonesia has been prolific in creating local governments since 1999. This article reexamines pro... more Indonesia has been prolific in creating local governments since 1999. This article reexamines provincial division in Indonesia and proposes a Veto players (VP) Theory of territorial reform, a function of the interplay of a number of VPs, their cohesion, and congruence of VP preferences. Using comparative analysis and process tracing of successful and failed cases through key informant interviews and secondary materials, Indonesia is found to have large but decisive VPs, where the direction of reform is contingent on the preferences of local players through territorial leveraging or opportunism. They are political elites who are supported by social movements whose preferences run parallel with the former. Despite a large absolute number of VPs, territorial reform was achieved due to smaller effective number of VPs (via established executive-legislative relations), due to mirroring and manipulation of preferences through side payments and other strategic behaviors (lobbying and social mobilization), and through reciprocity norms of patronage and personal linkages.
Local governments are ubiquitous politico-administrative units that affect the lives of local com... more Local governments are ubiquitous politico-administrative units that affect the lives of local communities in various aspects, particularly service delivery, taxation, and political participation. When citizens are enveloped in these omnipresent units, one wonders: who decides in creating or changing local political boundaries, and how are decisions made? Local territorial reform in the Philippines is predominantly characterized by fragmentation. Municipal amalgamation is an extraordinary case in Philippine history. The literature on territorial reorganization, particularly on municipal amalgamation, is scant. Municipal amalgamation—particularly its nature, and politics—has not been comprehensively investigated in the Philippines. Accordingly, the main thrust of this study is to explain why and how municipalities consolidated in the Philippines. Put differently, it is puzzling how a municipal government, with its local administrative authorities and residents, was able to bequeath territory, authority and autonomy to join a new consolidated local government.