Policy Press

Local Government in Europe

New Perspectives and Democratic Challenges

Edited by Marta Lackowska, Katarzyna Szmigiel-Rawska and Filipe Teles

Published

Sep 8, 2021

Page count

324 pages

ISBN

978-1529217186

Dimensions

234 x 156 mm

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Published

Sep 8, 2021

Page count

324 pages

ISBN

978-1529217193

Dimensions

Imprint

Bristol University Press

Published

Sep 8, 2021

Page count

324 pages

ISBN

978-1529217193

Dimensions

Imprint

Bristol University Press
Local Government in Europe

Drawing on classical and emerging research perspectives, this comprehensive book provides an up-to-date review of local government in Europe.

Featuring an impressive range of contributors from both eastern and western Europe, the book addresses three main topics: territorial reforms, democratic empowerment of citizens and the role of local leadership, as well as new trends in local finances.

Acknowledging their inherent diversity, the book examines the ways that local governments have responded to shared challenges, such as climate change, increasing populism and democratic deficit in order to identify both the variety and communalities between the country-specific features. In doing so, it provides a rich picture of the latest trends in local government, as well as pointing the way for future developments.

Marta Lackowska is Professor in the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies at the University of Warsaw, Poland.

Katarzyna Szmigiel-Rawska is Professor in the Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies at the University of Warsaw, Poland.

Filipe Teles is Assistant Professor in the Department of Social, Political and Territorial Sciences at the University of Aveiro, Portugal.

PART I The Size of Municipal Reforms When Size Matters

1 Advancing the Research Agenda on Local Territorial Reforms: Taking Time and Space Seriously ~ António F. Tavares

2 Too Big To Be Local: Local and National Elite Complicity in the Narrative of English Council Mergers ~ Colin Copus, Alistair Jones and Rachel Wall

3 Consequences of Forced Municipal Mergers: Evidence from Norway ~ Harald Baldersheim and Lawrance E. Rose

4 Local Government Reforms in Denmark and Norway: Reform Tools and Outcomes ~ Kurt Houlberg and Jan Erling Klausen

5 One Size Does Not Fit All: Growing Cities and Shrinking Towns in the Spanish Local Map ~ Carmen Navarro and Esther Pano

6 Institutional Changes and Shifting Roles: Local Government Reform in Hungary, 2010–14 ~ Gábor Dobos

7 Territorial Reforms in Bulgaria: The Cases of Municipal Divorces ~ Desislava Kalcheva

8 Participation of Interest Groups at Local Level: Any Space for Democracy in Inter- Municipal Cooperation? ~ Jurga Bučaitė-Vilkė

PART II Local Democracy and Leadership

9 Municipal Size and the Nationalization of Local Party Systems: The Nationalized, Localized and Regionalized Local Party Systems of Denmark, Poland and Belgium ~ Adam Gendźwiłł, Ulrik Kjaer and Kristof Steyvers

10 Co-creating the Tolerant City: The Role of Inspirational Civic Leadership ~ Robin Hambleton with a contribution by Wirginia Aksztejn

11 Urban Leadership: German and Polish Mayors in Comparison ~ Hubert Heinelt

12 Urban Climate Leadership in Metropolitan Areas: How Has the Political Parliamentary Model Influenced Oslo’s Climate Leadership? ~ Gro Sandkjær Hanssen

PART III Keeping the Pace with a Balanced Balance Sheet

13 Democratic Functions of Local Budgets ~ Jerzy Bartkowski

14 Does Urban Sprawl Pay Off for the Suburban Municipal Budget in Poland? ~ Julita Łukomska and Jarosław Neneman

15 Should Tourists Pay Local Taxes and Why Yes? ~ Marta Derek

Conclusion

16 Perspectives on European Local Government: Putting Local Democracy First! ~ Marta Lackowska, Katarzyna Szmigiel-Rawska and Filipe Teles