Local and regional democracy in European politics (original) (raw)
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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
Local Government Structure and Capacities in Europe
Public Policy And Administration, 2015
This article argues that the local government capacities and local government performance in Europe clearly rank this continent to the most developed world areas from the point of local democracy. The background factors explaining this situation have a multidimensional character and one can identify as core positive factors the relative economic wealth, high human development, the long historical tradition of the subsidiarity principle in most parts of Europe, and the regulatory function of the Council of Europe. The strong development of local and regional democracy in Europe is protected and based on the principles of European Charter of Local Self Government. However, this does not mean that everything is perfect in Europe and that there would be no challenges to be addressed. It is difficult to define clear common weaknesses of the local democracy in Europe. We need to mention the core structural challenges here, for instance the continuous discussion about amalgamation versus fragmentation. Most countries also indicate one overarching threat to the local democracy in Europe today, that is, the financial crisis, which significantly decreased the level of available financial resources for selfgovernments, while the structure of responsibilities remains the same or even increases. Another core threat visible in many European countries is the trend toward re-centralization or limited real will do continue with decentralization in, both in established and emerging democracies. Regional issues differ, and we mention especially the situation of post-communist countries, where local democracy does not have a long tradition and still needs to be revitalized.
Local and Regional Governance in Europe: For a New Comparative Framework
The traditional static approach to territorial organisation, local authorities’ functions and local political-administrative system as the three main domains of research in the field of local government in Europe has to be replaced by dynamic one, i.e. the one that follows the changes contemporary local governments are faced with. Specifically, the concept of multilevel governance, the economic role of local governments, and decentralisation process leading to the transformation of local government systems have to be in the centre of a new, dynamic research framework for comparative analysis of European local governments. At the same time, all the important actors influencing processes at the local and broader levels have to be included. It seems that dynamic aspects are obverse of the static elements and are in relation of mutual interconnection. The kind of approach that includes all the relevant aspects of European local governments can provide us with systemic data required for the analysis of similarities and differences in European countries. Hence, we will be able to establish whether there is a harmonisation of local government systems and processes in Europe, what kind of harmonisation it is and what the main points of convergence are.
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...
European Integration Studies, 2018
Subnational mobilization literature has flourished since the mid. 1990s. Regional and local authorities have tried, not always successfully, to utilize alternative channels of representation in the European Union (EU) in different policy areas and with different scope and depth. The policy areas and the degree of subnational mobilization is greatly varied contingent on exogenous -at the EU level- and endogenous -within local and regional organisational capacity- factors. Most commonly, subnational authorities (SNAs) find themselves involved in cohesion policy issues, environmental affairs, and social policy measures, mostly involved in the implementation phase. However, as the EU continuously emphasizes the importance of regional and local authorities in facilitating the European integration process, it has fuelled SNAs’ institutional ambitions and expanded their aspirations for participation in new policy areas, even in fields traditionally considered to be exercised –and monopolized–by national authorities, such as foreign policy issues. This article focuses on the role of subnational institutions in the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), a relatively new policy area compared to other established EU policies. (...) ... it is argued that sub-state entities have managed to expand their institutional role in new policy areas that have been traditionally monopolized by central state authorities.
The Contribution of Local and Regional Authorities to a ‘Good’ System of Governance within the EU
Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law, 2016
The participation of the local and regional authorities in EU processes should be promoted and enhanced by the EU, the Member States and the same local/regional authorities. These should perform a stronger role in the constitutional architecture of the EU. In this way they would contribute more effectively to a limited, balanced and legitimate system of governance based on constitutionalism within the EU. The participation of sub-national authorities in the EU reconciles European integration with the multi-level systems of governance of the Member States; strengthens the legitimacy of EU and national (EU-related) decision-making processes; and reinforces the legal limitation of the decision-making power of both Union institutions and national authorities.
The multi-level governance of the European Union: the role of the local government
Juridical Tribune
Local development is an integral part of the progress of a country. It directly affects the improvement of their citizens’ life. The role of the local government is to provide better services and more effective governing by bringing the government closer to its citizens and providing a better understanding of their needs. Good governance is about efficiency, democracy, and accountability, that is principles of the foundation of an independent and competent local government. The following paper takes a closer look at the multilevel government of the European Union, focusing on the importance and role of the local government. This paper points out all the aspects of cooperation between the smallest units of government of each member state and the European Union, to show the ways in which it affects and improves governance at these two levels. This paper explains the mutual role of these two levels of government (multi-level governance) and analyzes the principle of subsidiarity, the p...
Local Self-Government in Europe
Local Self-Government in Europe, 2021
The local governance and municipalities have always been an important system of the national administrative systems. Therefore, their analysis has had a long tradition in the European social sciences. The different regulations on the municipal administration have been compared by the books, but the approach has been changed by the evolvement of the administrative sciences: comparative local governance and the comparison of the different local socio-economic systems became recent topics of the monographs. 13 municipal systems are analysed by this book. Countries from all part of the European Union are observed by the chapters. The central element of our analysis are the standards defined by the Charter of Local Self-Government in Europe: the implementation of the Charter and the transformation and reforms of the last decades are analysed by them. However, just half of the municipal models of the EU Member States are examined by leading experts of the given countries, but the different faces of the similar trends can be observed by this book. The different ‘faces’ of centralisation and concentration can be seen. The book has a strong legal approach, but the analysis of the local governance is in focus of the book, therefore, it has a wider, social science approach, as well.
5th International Multidisciplinary Scientific Conference on Social Sciences & Arts, 2018
In the context of local self-government, the Europeanization process includes the "top-down" component (i.e. changes in policies, actions, preferences and participants in local governance resulting from the negotiation and implementation of EU programs and policies), "bottom-up" component (i.e. transfer of innovative urban practices to a supranational arena for the purpose of incorporating local initiatives in pan-European policies and programs) and the horizontal component. This paper focuses on the horizontal Europeanization of local self-government, a process that can take place without the participation of European institutions or with their minimal, coordinative role. It is about cooperation, exchange of experience and best practices and finding innovative solutions through transnational networks of local units. Horizontal Europeanization includes lesson-drawing, policy transfer and policy convergence. The formation of transnational networks of local authorities creates a new dimension of the emergence of "foreign policy" and "paradiplomacy" of European subnational levels of government, primarily cities. The main research question is to determine the ways in which transnational networks of local units can contribute to the implementation of the European good governance principles. Namely, there is a general consensus on key components of good governance that has established principles for public administration shared by European States with different legal traditions and different systems of governance.