the future of local self-government in europe
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The Future of Local Self-Government in Europe
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann
“The local and regional dimension of European democracy was born out
of the conviction that the excessive concentration of power in the national centers must be counterbalanced by stronger
development of the power base at the grassroots,
at local and regional level.” (Keith Whitmore, 2011)
Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 2
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 3
Structure
Importance of Local Self-Government in
Europe
Different Local Government Cultures in
Europe
Trajectories of Reform
The Changing Role of Local Government
Challenges and Future Prospects
The Importance of Local Self-Government
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 4
91,200 municipalities 1,100 second-tier LG
50% of EU-total public employment
Ø 16% of EU-GDP
34% of EU-public spending
Participation: opportunity for people to be directly involved in democratic processes (grass roots democracy)
Trust: considerably higher in the local/regional authorities than in national governments (Eurobarometer)
Stability: local level in Europe important for stabilization/ acceptance of national/supra-national political systems
Counterbalance: to centralizing tendencies (EU-integration/globalization)
Reform-Frontrunners: most active level in some countries (reform pressure; seriously affected by crisis)
Proximity: Direct contact to the citizens/voters But: is there a “one and best way” of LG in Europe?
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 5
The Importance of Local Self-Government: More than service-delivery!
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 6
Different Local Government Cultures in Europe
North Middle Europ. Group
(e.g. Germany, Sweden)
Franco Group/ Napoleonic
tradition(e.g. France, Italy, Spain)
Anglo Group(e.g. UK, Ireland)
Functionally strong municipalities
multi purpose model of local self-government
Functionally weak municipalities; strong
territorial statesingle purpose model of locally operating state
offices
“Ultra vires”-principle; functionally strong
municipalitiesmulti purpose model of local self-government
Partly separation (Sweden)/ partly
integration (Germany) of state and local
government tasks; weak (Sweden)/ medium
(Germany) control from above
Integration of state and local government tasks =
fused system; strong control from above
Separation of state and local government tasks = separational system/ dual polity; weak control from
above
Politically strong, parliamentary/presidential
Politically strong; powerful mayors; cumul
des mandats
Politically weak, no community identity/
leadership
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 7
Different Local Government Cultures in Europe: Territorial Variances
North-European Type: Large-scale units; „big
is beautiful“ (Sweden, Norway, Denmark,
Finland, UK; some German States, e.g. NRW,
Hesse)
South-European Type: Small-scale units;
mainly Napoleonic State tradition (France,
Italy, Portugal, Spain, Greece; some German
States, e.g. RhP, SH)
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 8
Different Local Government Cultures in Europe: Traditions of Local Service Provision
Tradition of
Local Self-Production
Tradition of
Contracting Out
- Régie; municipal empires;
Stadtwerke;
municipalizzate
- Germany (except social
services), Sweden,
Italy, UK
- Purchaser-Provider-
Split; PPP, model of
délégation, concessions,
local governance
-France (big private
firms)
Trajectories of Reform: similar discourses; different paths
Privatization Marketization
(NPM)
Managerialism and Output-
oriented Steering (NPM)
Decentralization/ Regionalization
Territorial Consolidation
Corporatization/ Formal Privatization
Asset Privatization/ New Shareholders
Contracting Out/ Functional
Privatization/ Délégation
Agencification; Separation Politics -
Administration
Performance Management, Benchmarking,
Contract Management
Public Service Reforms/ Performance Related Pay; Flexible
Employment Conditions
Federalization/ Regionalization
Political/ Administrative Decentralization
Administrative De-concentration
Municipal Mergers/Amalgamation
(coercive vs. voluntary)
Regional-Scale Counties/ County
Mergers
Inter-municipal /Regional Cooperation; Regional governance
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 10
Trajectories of Reform: Decentralization/De-Concentration
Political Decentralization: Transfer of state tasks including political decision-making competencies for the local council (France) but: units too small
Administrative Decentralization: Transfer of state tasks without political decision-making competencies for the local council (Germany) but: decrease in local autonomy/reductions in voluntary tasks/privatizations
De-Concentration: Creation of locally operating single purpose state agencies substituting local governments (England) but: more state intervention
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 11
Persisting Differences: Proportion of Public Sector Employees by Level
(2005)Municipal State/Region National Special
Sector
Germany 35% 53% Federal 12%
France 30% 51% Public Health
System
19.0%
U.K. 56% 16.9% National
Health
Service 26%
Sweden 83% 17%
Italy 13.6% 3.8% 54.7% Public Health
System
20.3%
Spain 23.6% 49.9% 22.5%
North-European Reform Type
South-European Reform Type
“Up-Scaling”; Mergers Enforcement of mergers through binding legislation
Subordination of municipality under parliamentary decision-making authority
Objective: Performance improvements; efficiency, effectiveness, productivity
UK, S, DK, German states (NRW, HE)
Small-scale municipal structures preserved; further fragmentation
Principle of Voluntariness: Mergers only with consent of municipalities
Inter-municipal formations as instead of mergers
Massive local resistance to territorial reform
F, I, many CEE countries; German states (RhP, SH)
Trajectories of Reform: Territorial Consolidation
CountryØ Inhabitants
per municipality
Ø km²%
municipalities < 5,000 PT
% municipalities > 100,000 PT
Czech Rep. 1,640 13 96 5
France 1,720 15 95 37
Hungary 3,170 29 91 9
Spain 5,430 62 85 58
Estonia 5,930 199 80 2
Germany 6,690 29 77 81
Italy 7,270 37 71 43
Greece 10,750 128 53 8
Finland 12,660 813 52 6
Poland 15,390 126 25 39
Bulgaria 29,090 420 11 11
Sweden 31,310 1,552 4 13
Denmark 55,480 440 3 6
Lithuania 56,570 1,088 2 5
UK 139,480 562 Not relevant 68
EU27 5,410 47 82* 500
The Changing Role of Local Government in Europe:Trends towards Strengthening
Functional dimension: de-centralization, transfer of state tasks = upgrading of LGs functional profile; more decision-making competencies of local councils (political de-centr.)
Political dimension: introduction of participatory elements, direct democracy, citizen involvement, consultations
Territorial dimension: up-scaling of LG-boundaries, territorial consolidation (amalgamation/cooperation), more viable LG-structures
Administrative dimension: citizen and costumer-oriented administrative structures/procedures; performance improvements, competition/benchmarking (NPM)
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 14
The Changing Role of Local Government in Europe:Trends towards Weakening
Functional dimension: over-burdening of LGs/losses in autonomy due to excessive devolution of state tasks; hollowing out through (NPM/EU-triggered) privatization
Political dimension: strengthening of local executives (direct election) to the disfavour of the council; weakening of the council due to contracting-out/privatization
Territorial dimension: Growing institutional thickness through new “inter-municipal” levels, regional bodies, cooperation structures (e.g. France, Italy); transaction costs
Administrative dimension: negative effects of NPM (steering deficits; fragmentation; decreasing staff motivation; increasing state intervention, e.g. UK)
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 15
Challenges and Future Prospects: Task Portfolio
Challenges: • Increasing functional responsibilities; partly without equivalent
(political) decision-making competencies (e.g. Germany) = “false de-centralization”
• More tasks with supra-local impacts (environment, pollution control)
• Increasingly interconnected tasks; cross-cutting policies
Requirements for the future: • Emphasis on political decentralization – including the council (see
Sweden, France) instead of only administrative decentr. (Germany)
• Supra-local tasks cannot solely be discharged by local authorities (bad experiences in Germany) not all tasks transferrable
• Strengthening cross-policies-coordination in the territory principle of “territoriality” (instead of only “functionality”)
• Strengthening the territorial basis for viable LGs (consolidation)Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 16
Challenges and Future Prospects:Local Finances/Resources
Challenges: • Increased demands to cope with fiscal constraints (financial
crisis particularly South European LGs affected; Germany, too, debt brake)
• More tasks, less resources (e.g. LG-staff cutbacks in Germany by 1/3 since 1990 decreasing quality of service delivery?)
Requirements for the future: • Solid resource basis for local task fulfilment + noticeable
fiscal autonomy as core requirement for viable local self-government
• Critical review of re-centralization tendencies, e.g. UK: % of local taxes: 80 40 14 (Thatcher) 22 (Blair) Coalition Gov.?
• Learning from good practices, e.g. Sweden (70% local taxes); increased proportion also in France (60%)
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 17
Challenges and Future Prospects:Democratic Participation/Political
Accountability Challenges:
• Increasing disenchantment with politics/representative democracy (decreasing turnouts/party memberships)
• Increasing demands of local electorate to be (directly) involved in decision-making processes (engagement in interest groups etc.)
• Strengthened political accountability of the directly elected mayor (partly also recall possible) too much mayoral powers? (France)
Requirements for the future: • Finding instruments/procedures to continuously include various
local interests into decision-making processes• Participation management in LG; avoid participation overkill
(France) • Implementation of results; take participation results seriously in
political decision-making processes (although not legally binding)• More direct democracy (local referenda etc.; exp. of Germany)
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 18
Challenges and Future Prospects: Europeanization/EU-Policy-Making
Challenges: • Centralizing effects of EU-integration• LG involvement in EU-decision-making considered inadequate• EU-regulation as a burden for local policy implementation;
bureaucratization; overburdening of the local level• EU-liberalization policies as a danger for traditionally protected
local markets (e.g. German “Stadtwerke”)
Requirements for the future: • Enhancing local EU-competencies (internal organization, staff
qualification; EU-Lobbying; inter-local cross border cooperation etc.)
• Further strengthening of local self-government as a fundamental basis of EU-integration and in EU-law (see Lisbon treaty)
• Watching over the compliance with the subsidiarity principle in Europe to guarantee task fulfilment at the best suited level
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 19
“The Union shall respect the equality of Member States before the Treaties as well as their
national identities, inherent in their fundamental structures, political and
constitutional, inclusive of regional and local self-government (…).”
(Art- 3a sec. 2, Treaty of Lisbon 2009)
„The Union’s blindness regarding local self-government has come to an end
since the Lisbon-Treaty.“ (Articus; Chief Executive of the German Cities‘ Assoc.;
2009)Univ.-Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 20
Thank you for your attention!
Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuhlmann 21
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