Options for rationalizing local government structure: a policy agenda

Title
Options for rationalizing local government structure: a policy agenda
Publication Date
2013
Author(s)
Dollery, Brian E
Kortt, Michael A
Grant, Bligh
Editor
Editor(s): Santiago Lago-Penas, Jorge Martinez-Vazquez
Type of document
Book Chapter
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Edward Elgar Publishing Limited
Place of publication
Cheltenham, United Kingdom
Edition
1
Series
Studies in Fiscal Federalism and State-Local Finance
UNE publication id
une:13568
Abstract
In comparison with higher tiers of government, the range of services provided by local government across different national jurisdictions is characterized by substantial heterogeneity. While in some countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, local authorities deliver a comparatively narrow array of services, focused mostly on 'services to property', in other national contexts, like the United Kingdom, the local government sector offers a much broader assortment of services, including numerous 'services to people' (Dollery et al., 2008). A further complicating factor resides in the fact that in many local government systems, the composition and quality of service provision is largely prescribed by central and state governments rather than decided by local authorities themselves. This complexity deepens when we consider the wide variety of methods employed to deliver these services. Throughout the developed world, local government adopts an intricate mix of approaches encompassing not only traditional 'in-house' delivery, but also alternative delivery modes, including for-profit, non-profit, inter-municipal cooperation, franchises, subsidies, and through volunteers (Andrews and Entwistle, 2010). Moreover, reliance on these different methods is evolving through time in accordance with both prevailing managerial doctrine and learned experience (Warner and Hefetz, 2008).
Link
Citation
The Challenge of Local Government Size: Theoretical Perspectives, International Experience and Policy Reform, p. 242-262
ISBN
9781782544296
Start page
242
End page
262

Files:

NameSizeformatDescriptionLink