Geography, public administration and governance (original) (raw)

Regionalisation, Federalism and Local Governance: Comparative Analysis of the Subnational Units

Studia Iuridica Lublinensia

Federalisation, regionalisation and local governance has been an important issue of legal and administrative sciences. Although the differences of decentralised and federal systems have remained, several transformations could be observed and in several countries the model of the public administration has changed in the last decades. A convergence or hybridisation of the models can be observed: the competences of the municipal bodies have been strengthened. Although the boundaries between municipalities and member states of the federation have blurred in the governance of these entities, the legal distinction between them remained solid: the regional municipalities with broad competences do not have their statehood.

REGIONALISATION AND FEDERALISATION: TRANSFORMING WAYS OF THE SUBNATIONAL GOVERNANCE

Kutafin Law Review, 2019

The Federalisation, regionalisation and local governance has been an important issue of the jurisprudence and administrative sciences. Although the differences of decentralised and federal systems have remained, several transformations could be observed and in several countries the model of the public administration has changed in the last decades. A convergence or hybridisation of the models can be observed: the competences of the municipal bodies have been strengthened. Although the boundaries between municipalities and member states of the federation have blurred in the governance of these entities, but the legal distinction between them remained solid: the regional municipalities with broad competences do not have statehood.

Some Thoughts on the Administration of the Regional Development in the Member States of the EU -In the Light of the Role of the Municipal Bodies1

Central European Public Administration Review, 2018

Municipalities are traditionally responsible for several regional planning and development tasks even if different systems have evolved in the Member States of the European Union. The administration of regional planning has been strongly influenced by the European integration. The allocation of the European Structural and Investment Funds was a major task of the recipients. The regional approach of the structural funds was a catalyst for the territorial reforms in several EU Member States. Although originally the regional reforms were based on the NPM-related reforms the changes were supported by the post-NPM paradigms (especially by the Good Governance paradigm) as well. In several countries the Crisis caused centralisation and the concentration of the structures. Thus three major models could be distinguished: centralised regional development systems, decentralised systems and federal systems. The characteristics of these systems are reviewed in the article focusing on their major differences and similarities.

Territorial Framework of Local Self-Government: Basis of Legislative Regulation

2020

Ukraine is increasingly trying to integrate into European structures. The civilizational, geopolitical and geo-economic choice for our country is obvious, therefore, difficult, consistent and sometimes unconventional and unpopular political decisions are required to implement it. The real implementation of the deconcentration, decentralization and subsidiarity principles in the practice of public administration is necessary, in particular, due to the introduction of new models of relations between the political center and the regions. Regional disproportions in the territory development of Ukraine, the failure to implement the reform on the ground in specific administrative and territorial units, the spread of corruption schemes – all these are the consequences of an ineffective model of local self-government and state management of regional development, that became the beginning of the administrative and territorial reform in the state. And in order to ensure a high-quality process...

Some Thoughts on the Administration of the Regional Development in the Member States of the EU – In the Light of the Role of the Municipal Bodies

Central European Public Administration Review, 2018

Municipalities are traditionally responsible for several regional planning and development tasks even if different systems have evolved in the Member States of the European Union. The administration of regional planning has been strongly influenced by the European integration. The allocation of the European Structural and Investment Funds was a major task of the recipients. The regional approach of the structural funds was a catalyst for the territorial reforms in several EU Member States. Although originally the regional reforms were based on the NPM-related reforms the changes were supported by the post-NPM paradigms (especially by the Good Governance paradigm) as well. In several countries the Crisis caused centralisation and the concentration of the structures. Thus three major models could be distinguished: centralised regional development systems, decentralised systems and federal systems. The characteristics of these systems are reviewed in the article focusing on their major...

Prevailing tendencies in local self-governance: Scope of local public affairs and territorial trends in Europe

Bratislava Law Review

Focusing on the content of local autonomy, congruent trends could be identified in European countries. Fundamental values of local self-governance prevailing in Europe are included in the European Charter of Local Self-Government. Having regard to the constitutional principle of separation of powers, Charter takes into consideration local self-governments as part of the executive power. Even though the basic principles specify the political and institutional framework of territorial and local administration, the intergovernmental relations also show changing nature. The public administration systems of the Member States of the European Union do not fall within the scope of the EU law, nevertheless, should be analyzed to what extent these processes are in#uenced by Europeanization progress and what other factors may occur. Remarkable territorial and competence-theory changes were implemented in some States recently, like the Big Society concept in the United Kingdom and the territori...

Review: Comparing Local Governance: Trends and Developments, Economic Geographies: Circuits, Flows and Spaces, European Political Thought since 1945, Europeanization and Regionalization in the EU's Enlargement to Central and Eastern Europe: The Myth of Conditionality, Corruption in Contemporary P...

Environment and Planning C: Government and Policy, 2007

This edited volume looks at recent changes in the systems of local government across a broad spectrum of advanced industrial democracies. More specifically, the introduction states that the aim of the book is to explore whether a shift from local government to local governance is widely noticeable or just a British peculiarity. The editors present Comparing Local Governance as an attempt to overcome the limitations of single-author volumes on similar subjects by drawing on the expertise of specialists from numerous countries (page 9). Although the richness of the case studies is surely enhanced by this approach, a price seems to be paid in terms of the comparability of the country reports and the emergence of a clear theoretical argument. In part these issues are a result of the structure of the book. This volume largely consists of individual chapters covering experiences in one specific country. The exception to the rule is the contribution by Rose and Sta® hlberg, which presents a comparison between Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Sweden. This country-based structure allows the individual cases to be presented in a coherent way, but limits the comparative element of the volume to the introductory and two concluding chapters. Although these general chapters draw the country experiences together in a coherent fashion, the body of the book reads more like a collection of case studies than a comparative work. In my opinion, a volume like John's Local Governance in Western Europe (2001), which is organised around challenges and elements of change rather than cases, invites the reader to engage in a more continuous between-country comparison. To aid case comparability the editors of this volume have set out a number of key trends and challenges to be addressed in each of the country-based chapters. Although the introduction briefly establishes this framework, it is unfortunately not developed very thoroughly. The complex challenges posed by socioeconomic and political macro trends, such as urbanisation, globalisation, and Europeanisation, receive only very brief attention. Likewise, the changing nature of demands on local government, in particular in terms of effectiveness, efficiency, and citizen participation, are described in broad terms and scarcely linked back to the macro trends developed in the previous section. Since these are the organising principles of the comparison, more attention could perhaps have been devoted to exploring these trends and the challenges they pose for local government. Furthermore, the country experts have received a fairly large level of discretion, both in terms of the content and presentation of their contributions. As a result, the trends and challenges set out in the introduction are at times difficult to distinguish within the country-based chapters. Another issue that comes up as one progresses through the book is the relatively limited attention paid to the concept of governance. Although other developments in local government may indeed be more interesting in many cases, the title of the book creates expectations of a more thorough treatment of this subject. Despite the attempt to draw together the evidence in the concluding chapters, the reader cannot escape the feeling that he or she is reading a series of country studies on recent developments in local government, of which a move towards governance is one, rather than a comparative study into the emergence of local governance in Western democracies. Again, John's book, though relying more heavily on secondary literature, seems to provide a much more focused and truly comparative analysis of the emergence of the local governance phenomenon. In my opinion, the charm of this volume therefore lies not so much in its international comparison, but in the insight it gives into recent changes in local government in a broad range of advanced industrial democracies. Unlike the book by John, this volume includes one of the new member states, Poland, as well as three non-European countries, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, in the analysis. Each chapter provides a knowledgable overview Reviews