The Theory and Practice of Local Government Reform

The Theory and Practice of Local Government Reform PDF Author: Brian Dollery
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 9781781956687
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 336

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Book Description
'Structural reform has been one of the most important, and yet one of the most neglected, aspects of modern local government. This book represents the first attempt, since the early seventies, at providing a comprehensive account of both the theory and practice of structural reform in local government in developed countries. Using recent policy experience from seven different countries, the authors present seminal theoretical perspectives on structural reforms in local governance and the policy implications deriving from them. Written by well-known scholars of local government from around the world, this volume is a "must-read" for all academics, practitioners, students and policymakers.' - Giorgio Brosio, University of Turin, Italy

The Theory and Practice of Local Government Reform

The Theory and Practice of Local Government Reform PDF Author: Brian Dollery
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 9781781956687
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 336

Get Book Here

Book Description
'Structural reform has been one of the most important, and yet one of the most neglected, aspects of modern local government. This book represents the first attempt, since the early seventies, at providing a comprehensive account of both the theory and practice of structural reform in local government in developed countries. Using recent policy experience from seven different countries, the authors present seminal theoretical perspectives on structural reforms in local governance and the policy implications deriving from them. Written by well-known scholars of local government from around the world, this volume is a "must-read" for all academics, practitioners, students and policymakers.' - Giorgio Brosio, University of Turin, Italy

Theoretical Foundations and Discussions on the Reformation Process in Local Governments

Theoretical Foundations and Discussions on the Reformation Process in Local Governments PDF Author: Sadioglu, Ugur
Publisher: IGI Global
ISBN: 1522503188
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 588

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Book Description
Local government can be defined as a public entity acting as the sub-unit of a state or of a region, charged with the task of enforcing public policies. There have been many reforms of local government in recent years from the grassroots-led movement that took root in the 90’s to the overarching effects of globalization and decentralization. Local governments must adapt their practices in order to most effectively provide for their constituents. Theoretical Foundations and Discussions on the Reformation Process in Local Government addresses the effects of recent reforms in the political-administrative system of local governments and politics as well as future outlooks. It reviews the challenges, innovations, and lessons from local governments while providing theoretical perspectives on methods for positive reform. This book is a critical reference source for policy makers, government organizations, professionals, and actors in both local and international politics.

Local Government Reform Across Developed Countries

Local Government Reform Across Developed Countries PDF Author: Barbara Ermini
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Local government
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
When we look at local government practice across the advanced nations we observe a very heterogeneous picture since countries have arranged their local public sector in different ways. Over the last two decades the majority of such countries have introduced intense structural reform. This is due to the increasing number of functions, responsibilities and objectives assigned to local governments as implication of new and more modern models and principles of local governance (for example, a significant challenge is represented by the fiscal federalism and new public management). To draw out 'stylized facts' to link the diversity and differences which characterizes these local government experiences is not an easy attempt but it deserves attention. Discerning regularities among alternative patterns of local government development can help to improve the understanding of how different dimensions of local government interact with existing institutional setting in order to achieve better performance (i.e, economic efficiency, accountability, democracy, etc) at the lower level of government. Finally, this exercise can be useful to policy makers seeking informed policy options when design optimal intergovernmental relations and structural reforms.

Municipal Government

Municipal Government PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Institutional economics
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Early reformers reasoned that by changing institutional structure in local government you could solve organizational problems. Institutional structural reform in local government has interested scholars ever since. The reform movement in the early 20th century firmly established the council-manager (administrative) model of government, which along with the mayor-council (political) model, is now utilized in 92% of all U.S. municipalities. Recent scholars have observed and reported on the fact that, increasingly, mayor-council municipalities are adopting structural changes that resemble characteristics found in council-manager municipalities and vice-versa. This research seeks to examine the question of whether these structural changes have any effect on these local governments by examining the behavior of Chief Administrative Officer's (CAO) and municipal outputs. The author examines a representative sample of 266 administrative and political municipalities within the U.S. having a population between 10,000 and 250,000. The institutional structures of these 266 municipalities are measured for political model and administrative model characteristics using three separate independent variables. The effects of institutional structural change is measured using group mean T-tests, ANOVA analysis, and multiple regression for per capita expenditures, working time allocation between the management, policy, and political role activities for the CAO, the quality of services provided, and the involvement level of the CAO compared to the council in the mission, policy, administrative, and management dimensions of municipal responsibilities. The study findings are mixed; significant effects are found in some but not all variables. Changing local government structures from characteristics found in the political model to characteristics found in the administrative model: makes no difference in municipal expenditures; makes a difference in how a CAO allocates his time in management and political activities but not policy activities; makes a difference in how the CAO perceives quality of services; makes a difference in the level of involvement for the CAO in the policy, administrative, and management dimensions of responsibility but not the mission dimension. Overall, this study has found that, by using more complex methods to measure institutional structure change, changes in institutional structures do make a difference in important areas of CAO behavior and outputs in local governments.

Local Government Reform

Local Government Reform PDF Author: Brian Dollery
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 9781782543862
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 296

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Book Description
'Written by an impressive array of experts, this book surveys local government reforms in six advanced democracies, federal and unitary, which share a municipal legacy: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. . . The book has an excellent bibliography and will help open up a field heretofore noted for its insularity. Recommended.' - A.J. Ward, Choice

Steps to Local Government Reform

Steps to Local Government Reform PDF Author: Allyn O. Lockner
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 1462018203
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 648

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Book Description
Does the performance of your local government leave something to be desired? Maybe youre not satisfied with the services your government provides, or maybe the cost for these services is far too much. If so, take heart; you can do something about it. Steps to Local Government Reform is your step-by-step guide to undertaking reform on the local level. Public manager Allyn O. Lockner combines years of experience in the public sector to show how you, as a resident or an elected local official, can work with others to successfully implement change within your community. Lockner explains how to make numerous choices regarding the preparation for, and the study, planning, marketing, approval, implementation, and evaluation of reforms. He also shows you how to share these reform results with others. Using various criteria, comparisons, practices, analyses, and other studies aimed at local government performance, Lockner delves into the sometimes tricky world of enacting reform. He reveals how local government works and provides a map for maneuvering around bureaucratic roadblocks. In addition, he includes a comprehensive bibliography for research, an appendix of terms commonly used in the reform process, and guides to creating reform models that are likely to work. With this compendium, you can help resolve vital issues, improve your community, and live a better life.

Local Government Structural Reform in Anglosphere and OECD Countries

Local Government Structural Reform in Anglosphere and OECD Countries PDF Author: Ian Tiley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Annexation (Municipal government)
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Structural reform has transformed the landscape of Australian local government activity. The meaning and nature of structural reform in the context of local government amalgamation is investigated in this paper. Examples of overseas experience of local government amalgamation as a preferred structural reform mechanism used by governments to reduce council numbers are considered. Local government reform experience in the Anglosphere nations of the United Kingdom, United States of America (USA), Canada and New Zealand and OECD countries Germany, France, Italy and Spain is examined. Amalgamation of local government units occurred in most of these countries for largely the same reason; to improve the operational efficiency of local government. Despite the very large numbers of local government units in some jurisdictions, strong community attachment to locality and the virtues of localism had meant that, in recent decades, higher spheres of government had not been prepared to attempt to impose local government mergers.

Structural Reform of British Local Government

Structural Reform of British Local Government PDF Author: Michael Chisholm
Publisher: Manchester University Press
ISBN: 9780719057717
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
"The book reviews the reasons for the reforms, the processes and outcomes in the three countries, and the nature of the evidence that was available for the advantages and disadvantages of reorganisation. Two chapters compare the prior assessments of the financial costs and benefits with the actuality, and the final chapter discusses some important lessons for national governance."--Jacket.

Structural Reform in Local Government

Structural Reform in Local Government PDF Author: Terry Bergstrom
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Local government
Languages : en
Pages : 74

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Book Description


City-County Consolidation and Its Alternatives: Reshaping the Local Government Landscape

City-County Consolidation and Its Alternatives: Reshaping the Local Government Landscape PDF Author: J.B. Carr
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317474473
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 334

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Book Description
City-country consolidation builds upon the Progressive tradition of favoring structural reform of local governments. This volume looks at some important issues confronting contemporary efforts to consolidate governments and develops a theoretical approach to understanding both the motivations for pursuing consolidation and the way the rules guiding the process shape the outcome. Individual chapters consider the push for city-county consolidation and the current context in which such decisions are debated, along with several alternatives to city-county consolidation. The transaction costs of city-county consolidation are compared against the costs of municipal annexation, inter-local agreements, and the use of special district governments to achieve the desired consolidation of services. The final chapters compare competing perspectives for and against consolidation and put together some of the pieces of an explanatory theory of local government consolidation.