Harald Baldersheim Livres

This book considers local autonomy, measured as a multidimensional concept, from a cross-country comparative perspective, and examines how variations can be explained and what their consequences are. It fills a gap in the literature by providing a comprehensive study of the different components of local autonomy across a large number of countries, over time. It offers a theoretically saturated concept to measure local autonomy and applies it to 39 countries, including all 28 EU member states together with Albania, Georgia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Moldova, Norway, Serbia, Switzerland Turkey and Ukraine, over a period of 25 years (1990-2014). Inhaltsverzeichnis Chapter 1: What is local autonomy?.- Chapter 2: Measuring local autonomy.- Chapter 3: Legal foundations.- Chapter 4: Functional responsibilities.- Chapter 5: Financial control.- Chapter 6: Organisational choice.- Chapter 7: Administrative supervision.- Chapter 8: Vertical access.- Chapter 9: The Local Autonomy Index (LAI).- Chapter 10: A new typology of local government? Beyond North-South and East-West.- Chapter 11: Who governs? Patterns of responsiveness and accountability.- Chapter 12: Roadmap to local autonomy? Drivers of variation.- Chapter 13: Blessings of local autonomy? Does it matter? For what? How?.- Chapter 14: Conclusions: Local Autonomy patterns, dynamics and ambiguities.

First published in 1999, this volume is a study of regional and local co-operation across national borders in Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and also of regional co-operation out of the area - across the Baltic Sea, the North Sea and in the Barents region.

This book is the first volume of a series examining the status of local democracy at the start of a new century. Modern local government, a 19th-century innovation, emerged from urbanization and industrialization, tasked with essential services like street maintenance, waste collection, and sanitation. The breakdown of these services highlights their critical role in urban life, making control over municipalities a significant political issue. In many nations, the democratization of local government was a crucial step toward achieving full national democracy, providing a platform for citizens to engage in governance at a manageable level and serving as a training ground for broader democratic participation. However, as institutions rooted in the industrial era, local governments may struggle to meet the needs of citizens in a post-industrial, globalized context. Signs indicate that citizens in various countries are growing impatient with local governance. Nonetheless, many municipalities are actively seeking to create new avenues for citizen participation and communication, reflecting an ongoing evolution in the relationship between local governments and their communities.

What is special about small states? How do they adapt their policies and governance in turbulent times, such as during a new security environment and the international financial crisis? Experts provide insights into the constraints and opportunities for governance in an interdependent and increasingly unstable global setting. They explore how small states respond to radical changes in the international landscape and the role of political institutions in shaping policy responses. Additionally, the impact of political leadership on stability during periods of change is examined. This comparative study focuses on the governance processes of Norway and Slovakia, two small European nations with open economies that have faced similar global challenges, including post-Cold War security shifts and financial crises. Both countries also grapple with internal pressures from rising expectations and demographic changes affecting their welfare systems. Their governance structures are influenced by distinct political-administrative cultures, historical contexts, and the stability of their democratic institutions, as well as their varying relationships with the European Union and regional integration frameworks. This comparative approach not only highlights the specific adaptations in governance within these two states but also offers broader insights into the role of integration structures in facilitating or constraining change.

The book provides a the state-of-the-art of local government studies, with an emphasis on contributions by political science. Particular attention is paid to the development of the research agenda in the field, of which a potential future development is outlined.