Search

Like their urban counterparts, rural local governments' relationships with their states have become varied and complex, particularly as rural America has become increasingly prominent in state and national politics, and the challenges facing rural communities have increased. However, a focus on this subset of local governments has been limited in scholarship on American federalism. Using survey data of rural local governments in Wisconsin, this article examines the degree to which rural governments perceive state assistance as helpful in addressing community challenges. Results indicate significant support for additional state assistance but also concerns about current levels of state financial support and state-imposed revenue limitations. Rural local governments with greater expenditures, worse financial conditions, lower levels of existing state aid, a more agriculture-dependent economy, and an older population are more likely to perceive additional state assistance as beneficial. Overall, these results provide additional clarity on rural local governments' perceptions of—and interactions with—their states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies local government investments using a panel data set of Norwegian municipalities in the period 2003–2019. We investigate variations in investments across local governments and their relation to fiscal capacity, needs based on population growth, and political factors. Our results suggest that expected population growth and fiscal capacity largely explain variations in investments. The finding that expected population growth is a strong determinant, while other factors such as political composition of the local council has little if any effect, indicates that Norwegian local governments are quite rational in deciding their investment policy. On the other hand, we do observe indications of election cycles, where investments increase in election years. We also find results suggesting that increased investments can increase the vote-share for the incumbent coalition, although we see no additional effect from increasing investments in election years. Hence, investments do not seem to be completely insulated from political considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is aimed at studying the peculiarities of administrative supervision and control in the field of solar energy by local self-government bodies. The author considers theoretical developments of domestic scholars on this topic, namely, the concepts of supervision and control. It is established that 'supervision' and 'control' are not identical in nature, since they have a number of differences. Thus, supervision and control differ in terms of their purpose, method of implementation and scope. The author formulates that supervision in the field of solar energy means the activities of authorised bodies in the field of solar energy that monitor individuals and legal entities that use and consume solar energy for their own needs. Instead, control in the field of solar energy is the activity of authorised bodies aimed at verifying compliance of the activities of entities in the field of alternative energy with the established norms, rules and standards in order to ensure the proper performance of tasks and functions. It is emphasised that despite the significant role of state bodies in the mechanism of supervision and control in the field of solar energy, local self-government bodies perform certain functions. The Law of Ukraine 'On Alternative Energy Sources' has shortcomings related to the lack of mention of local governments and their role in the field of renewable energy. Despite the imperfection of the main law in this area, other regulatory acts disclose the competence of local governments in legal relations related to the use of alternative energy sources. Also, the imperfection of the current legislation does not affect the role of local governments, as they are the ones who actually implement the adopted legislative initiatives and regulations in the field of solar energy. The author concludes that renewable energy, especially solar energy, is gaining momentum in Ukraine, with more than 55,000 households already equipped with solar power plants. However, the rapid development of the industry is forcing the legislator to work hard to develop a regulatory framework and a supervisory mechanism. The latter, in our opinion, has many shortcomings that should be the subject of future research in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Dilemas Contemporáneos: Educación, Política y Valores is the property of Dilemas Contemporaneos: Educacion, Politica y Valores and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article is dedicated to a detailed study of the discretionary powers of local self-government bodies in the field of land relations, taking into account the new approaches enshrined in the Law of Ukraine "On Administrative Procedure. The study examines the theoretical aspects of discretionary powers in both narrow and broad senses. Analyzing the definitions established in the Law of Ukraine «On Administrative Procedure», the author provides their understanding of discretionary powers "in the narrow sense" as the ability of an administrative body to choose one of several options for decisions that are lawful and meet the purpose for which such powers are granted. This creates space for making individual administrative acts within the framework of administrative procedures. Such powers are limited to the adoption of individual acts aimed at resolving specific land issues. Discretionary powers in the broad sense, on the other hand, should be understood as the authority granted to local self-government bodies based on a law or other regulatory legal act, allowing these bodies to independently regulate legal relations in the field of land relations. These powers include the ability to make decisions at their own discretion, particularly through the issuance of normative acts. This regulation must comply not only with the requirements of general legislation but also be aimed at achieving the goals set out in special legal acts, as well as in local regulatory legal acts adopted by the local self-government bodies themselves. The author also emphasizes the need for further development of doctrinal approaches to discretionary powers, which should contribute not only to improving the efficiency of law enforcement but also to creating legal mechanisms that ensure an adequate level of control over their implementation. The article highlights the importance of developing legal guarantees for the protection of citizens' interests in the context of the exercise of discretionary powers by local authorities in the field of land relations. The author believes that this will contribute to increasing the transparency and accountability of local self-government bodies, as well as ensuring fairness and legali ty in decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mexico's fiscal response to the needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic was among the lowest compared to other Latin American countries. This study examines the fiscal effort at the state level in Mexico over a 27-year period, using a panel database that includes all 31 states of the Republic. The results obtained through a generalized least squares model (GLS) suggest that the dependence of state governments on federal transfers is unsustainable. It is concluded that there is a need to enhance the resilience of state public finances to address the increasing local needs and unexpected challenges, such as those brought on by the COVID-19 health crisis. As a suggestion, the reconfiguration of taxes related to tourism and the introduction of specific taxes for nature-based tourism are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Architecture & Life Journal / Kocaeli Üniversitesi Mimarlık ve Yaşam Dergisi is the property of Architecture & Life Journal / Kocaeli Universitesi Mimarllik ve Yasam Dergisi and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study attempts to understand to what extent the actual priority setting in the municipalities of Türkiye as a developing country aligns with idealised rational models based on theoretical principles and successful cases in developed countries. For that purpose, the study examines the cases of priority‐setting process of service provision in Turkish municipalities through an exploratory qualitative research method involving focus group meetings with the representatives of 30 municipalities and field observation in two municipalities. The findings reveal key aspects of the prioritisation process, including approaches taken by the municipalities, citizen and stakeholder engagement, the role of managers, criteria used for the assessment of alternatives, and evaluation methods. The analysis identifies two distinct patterns, that is the idealised rationalist versus pragmatic, in all the key aspects examined. These findings contribute to a better understanding of what aspects of idealised rationalist and pragmatical decision‐making processes are distinct from each other, and to a more comprehensive international perspective in public organisations, especially in which top manager such as the mayor is elected into office in developing countries. The study cautions against uncritical acceptance of oversimplified rationalistic as well as universalistic assumptions behind priority‐setting models and advocates for a more substantiated and contextualised understanding of decision‐making processes. Points for practitioners: Adopting a priority‐setting approach (technique, method, or criteria) necessitates considering the unique conditions and challenges of one's organisation and the local context. It is imperative to blend theoretical principles with practical realities to achieve optimal decision‐making and superior outcomes.Priority setting in public organisations of developing countries diverges from idealised rational models used in developed countries due to contextual factors like culture and limited resources. Policy advisors from international organisations and developed countries should endorse knowledge and experience sharing that acknowledges both ideal and practical realities. Concurrently, practitioners in developing countries must critically assess the applicability of advised models to their specific context before adoption.If the mayor takes a dominant role in the priority setting that outweighs institutional strategies and priorities, effective prioritisation among alternatives may be hindered. To rebalance power, it is crucial to foster an organisational culture that embraces participative decision‐making and professionalism and implements mechanisms such as auditing, transparency, and accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how budget transparency affects budget credibility, i.e., how it affects budget current revenue/expenditure deviations. Specifically, the first objective is to describe how budget transparency affects budget credibility or accuracy of the enacted budget at the local level. The second is to examine if and in which direction budget deviations are systematically biased. The third is to link the accuracy of enacted budgets with political budget cycles' literature. Budget transparency is measured by the number of published key budget documents on the City's official websites. Budget credibility is measured by the difference between the planned amount minus the actual amount divided by the actual amount. Our sample comprises balanced panel data for 120 Croatian cities during the period 2016-2021 and system GMM method was used. The findings indicate that cities with greater budget transparency typically underestimate their revenues and overestimate their expenditures. Less transparent cities, on the other hand, frequently overestimate their revenues and underestimate their expenditures, yet ultimately spend more than intended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the responses of the Moroccan public sector to global economic fluctuations, focusing on reforms inspired by New Public Management within OECD countries. Morocco has initiated reforms affecting local governments to address various challenges, such as advanced regionalization, financial crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the adoption of a new development model. The study examines the crucial role of local governments in socioeconomic development and highlights the importance of management control to improve governance. The objective is to analyze the effectiveness of these local governments, the application of New Public Management, management needs, human resource competence, and models of good governance, identifying how management control tools can support their improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates whether local government expenditure correlate with the Quality of Life (QoL) of the local population and whether high public expenditure are indicative of high or low QoL. Data, including information on public expenditure and objective QoL indicators, were gathered for Finnish municipalities from several existing databases and cover a period of 2015–2019. A composite indicator was constructed to measure municipal QoL performance. The results indicate that there is a clear correlation between public expenditure and QoL: the higher the public expenditure the lower the QoL of the local population. This is due to a greater demand for public goods in municipalities that have low QoL levels. Further, QoL and public expenditure levels are a fairly constant phenomenon. There was no evidence that changes in public expenditure and QoL would affect each other in the short term. The added value of this paper is that it fills parts of the research gap concerning our knowledge on the empirical links between public expenditure and QoL at the local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores how the public sector engages citizens for innovation purposes. It connects the related but currently separate debates concerning the transition from the 'new public management' to the 'new public governance' paradigm and the application of different helix models to public sector innovation. Through a case study of a Danish municipality, the process for changing normativity and the perception of citizens' roles is illustrated. This includes the application of both new structures and instruments for engaging citizens in collaboration and a pragmatic approach to quadruple helix collaboration, which is context-driven rather than strictly compliant with theoretical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Empirical quantitative methodologies are increasingly in demand in academic publications overall, and in the fields of public administration and local government studies, in particular. In this study, we review the evolution of quantitative studies in Local Government Studies (LGS) over the past 20 years. Using bibliometric analysis, we demonstrate the substantial impact of empirical studies in LGS. Additionally, the keyword co-occurrence analysis has revealed the main research topics, where quantitative analyses are used to explore or confirm theories. We compared these results to the topics in quantitative analysis within the fields of public administration and urban studies. Methods such as panel data and quasi-experimental techniques including differences-in-differences and synthetic control are briefly discussed. We conclude by highlighting the increasing importance of data transparency and accessibility for advancing empirical research in local government studies. We anticipate that this research will provide methodological insights for advancing research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article draws from scholarly debates over three decades to argue for a shift in the study of digital transformation in local governments founded in the understanding that technology is an unavoidable tool for local government reform and that academic research in this field needs to be driven by real-world situations that local governments face when they undertake digital transformation processes and assess their results. The article advocates for four specific changes: 1) the acknowledgement that the relationship between the organisation and the use of technology is bi-directional, 2) the adoption of a multi and interdisciplinary perspective in the scholarship of digital transformation in local governments, 3) the study of public value creation as the result of digital transformation processes and local government reforms, and 4) the need to significantly advance the field by building on existing research and findings when a new technology comes into play. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some studies speak of the financial and economic benefits of urban sprawl indicating that there is little evidence that compact cities outside of high-income countries are more productive. Considering the contradictions, this research seeks to identify and analyze the financial factors driving or impeding urban sprawl in one of the Iranian large cities, Qom City. The results show that urban sprawl is a costly phenomenon for the municipality in the long term. However, urban officials have some incentives to encourage urban sprawl. The most significant advantage of urban sprawl is the increase in income from the sale of municipal (immovable) property. More than 50% of the municipality's revenues are provided from land and related developments and this increases the incentive to expand the city and the lack of control over the urban sprawl. Urban sprawl also imposes financial costs on the municipality, and the most significant financial obstacle is the increase in the costs of urban transportation and traffic improvement(26% on average up to 55% in some years). Iranian municipalities mainly rely on unsustainable revenue sources, and a large part of their revenues are provided through urban sprawl and its related revenue sources, threatening peripheral environments more than ever. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examine the complex relationship between campaign spending and electoral outcomes in local elections. We focus on (1) how spending influences the distribution of votes across candidates; (2) its impact on voter turnout; and (3) the differential effects of different types of campaign spending. Using the case of Chile’s 2016 mayoral elections, a candidate-level dataset, and linear regression techniques, we estimate the impact of campaign spending on the share and dynamics of votes obtained. The study reveals that an additional investment of 50 cents per voter correlates with an average 5% increase in vote share as a proportion of elegible voters. This increase is attributed to a double effect: mobilizing new voters and attracting support from competitors. The disaggregated analysis shows that radio advertising is especially impactful for campaign dissemination. These results enrich the literature on electoral strategies, campaign finance dynamics and financing regulations in multi-party systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study seeks to understand under which conditions cities enact inclusionary policies and practices for irregular migrants. Previous research points out the influence of political ideology, local autonomy, economic capacity, diversity, or civil society alliances. We argue that a city's proactive and supportive stance towards irregular migrants may not be explained fully by one or another single factor, but rather by their combination. Through a fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis of 13 European cities, it was found that the combination of a political discrepancy between the local government and national state, as well as local alliances between the municipality and local civil society organizations, is a necessary condition for municipalities to take a proactive and supportive stance towards irregular migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Poland, responsibility for educational tasks has mainly been delegated to local governments, although the state still plays a decisive role. Municipalities finance these tasks using educational subsidies and targeted grants from the central budget. Because transfers from the state budget cover an ever-decreasing share of the costs of educational tasks, municipalities increasingly need to engage their own resources. Such a situation (due to the limited funds of these units) poses a threat to the proper implementation of other tasks, which may ultimately negatively affect their sustainable development. This study aimed to determine the impact of the financial gap from implementing educational tasks on the sustainable development of communes and cities with county rights. The research primarily employed linear ordering methods and Spearman's rho correlation. It also employed the nonparametric Kruskal–Wallis test and the Page test for trends. This study utilized two types of data: secondary data from Statistics Poland covering 2477 municipalities and primary data collected through a survey of 482 local government representatives. The correlation analysis revealed that sustainable development indicators decreased as the financial gap widened between 2012 and 2022. The highest correlation coefficients were observed in all communes combined and in cities with county rights. The weakest correlations between the financial gap and sustainable development were found in urban municipalities. Representatives of local governments had similar observations. According to 63.1% of respondents, the imbalance between funds transferred from the state budget for educational tasks and the expenditure incurred by the municipality for this purpose negatively affects the sustainable development of local governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past two decades, tax nudging has gained popularity as a method to boost tax compliance and help revenue authorities increase tax collection. However, most evidence on the effect of behaviourally informed tax letters comes from environments with high administrative capacity, which raises doubts about its generalizability. Against this background, this article tests the compliance effect of including messages that trigger deterrence or reciprocity beliefs in tax letters through a randomized controlled trial implemented in two mid‐sized Mozambican municipalities, Vilankulo and Dondo. Conducted in 2018, the experiment focuses on property taxation, a tax overwhelmingly perceived to perform well below its potential in many low‐ and middle‐income countries. The analysis relies on administrative data and exploits the complete universe of registered property tax taxpayers, including individuals and enterprises. The results indicate that (i) receiving a notification letter – not necessarily common practice in many contexts – has a significant positive impact on compliance; (ii) among enterprises, the message alluding to reciprocity backfires, while the most effective message to include generally is the one alluding to deterrence; and (iii) previously compliant taxpayers react negatively to the letter, regardless of the message included. These results carry relevant policy implications, indicating the large scope for behaviourally informed letters to help increase tax compliance, even in low administrative capacity settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

State-owned forest farms are key players in managing forestry resources worldwide, playing a pivotal role in advancing the development of the non-timber forest product industry. This paper constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model involving "government–state-owned forest farms–farmer households" to delve into how state-owned forest farms collaborate with governments and farmer households to propel the growth of the non-timber forest product industry. Additionally, it explores the interactive relationships among multiple stakeholders and their asymptotic stability. The findings reveal that (1) under certain conditions, the game model can achieve four stable equilibrium strategies: (0,0,0), (0,1,0), (0,1,1), and (1,1,1). (2) Key factors influencing the tripartite game include the political performance and administrative costs of local governments involved in the industry's development, assessment performance and reduced management and protection expenses of state-owned forest farms, and sales revenue and planting costs of farmers' under-forest products. (3) The market development costs shared by state-owned forest farms and government subsidies for under-forest planting should be within a reasonable range. This ensures effective promotion of farmers' participation in under-forest planting while maintaining the willingness of state-owned forest farms and governments to actively engage. These findings provide concrete guidelines that policymakers can use to spur sustainable growth in the NTFP sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability is a critical societal aim, and local governments (LGs) play an important role in fostering sustainability, as the implementation of the global aims set by the United Nations—namely, the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs offer novel accounting, reporting, and management perspectives for LGs. The objective of the study is to understand the role of the accounting–management nexus which is needed to institutionalize sustainability in LG practices. We adopted an institutional work perspective to investigate how actors at the field, organizational, and suborganizational levels of LGs can foster sustainability in accounting and management. Based on interviews with managers and other representatives from the 18 largest LGs in Finland, we found that although sustainability integration is still in the early stages and there is considerable heterogeneity in LGs' handling of sustainability issues, there is clear potential for the simultaneous deployment of different institutional work types. This has positive implications for the institutionalization of sustainability accounting and management practices in LGs, enhancing understanding of how sustainability is fostered in public sector accounting and management by focusing on organizational‐level institutional work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring a broad degree of financial autonomy is a fundamental issue for local government. In the context of the administrative modernization of recent years, several legislative measures have been taken which have directly or indirectly limited the financial and economic autonomy of local governments in Hungary. The paper gives a brief overview of the development of the Hungarian local government system in 1990, comparing the initial regulation with the standards of the European Charter of Local Self-Government. It discusses, then, the restructuring of the system in 2011, and lists the legal institutions which, in the author’s view, have led to restrictions on local government management. The paper covers the introduction of the task-financing system, the establishment of district offices, the restructuring of the role of county governments, and the constitutional and other legal obstacles to municipal borrowing.

The decentralised local government system makes funds available to local governments to develop the communities and improve living conditions of the people. In Ghana, however, the people in the communities complain of poor service delivery including the provision of poor amenities. This deprives them of decent livelihood and there is despondency at the local level. This study investigated the situation by examining the operations of local governments to ascertain the management of resources at the local level. Using the transaction cost theory and the institutional theory, desk research was conducted based on successive Auditor-Generals’ reports and other relevant documents on local governance in Ghana. The data were subjected to thematic analysis for interpretation and comparison. The study found that the local governments performed their basic functions but successive Auditor-Generals’ reports contained irregularities which were the result of mismanagement of resources. The management of resources in local governments is, therefore, a bane rather than a boon to development at the local level in Ghana. The Head of Local Government Service should severely sanction perpetrators of irregularities.

Dijital dönüşüm hizmetleri, yerel yönetimlerin akıllı şehirler haline gelmesini sağlamaktadır. Çalışma kapsamında Türkiye’de yapı sektöründe dijital dönüşüm uygulamaları 9 yerel yönetim üzerinden incelenmiştir. Her bölgeden bir il en yüksek gelişmişlik düzeyine göre seçilmiştir. İstanbul ve Ankara şehirleri dijital dönüşümde ilk uygulama alanlarından oldukları için ayrı analiz edilmiştir. Yapı sektöründe dijital dönüşüm denildiğinde akla gelen akıllı şehir bileşenleri illerin karşılaştırılma analizinde kullanılmıştır. Seçilen büyükşehir belediyelerinin 2020-2024 yıllarını kapsayan stratejik planları, 2022 senesine ait faaliyet raporları, belediyelere ait web siteleri, akıllı şehir uygulamaları incelenerek, Çevre, Şehircilik ve İklim Değişikliği Bakanlığı tarafından yayınlanan “2020-2023 Ulusal Akıllı Şehirler Stratejisi ve Eylem Planı’nda yer alan Akıllı Şehir Bileşenleri üzerinden analiz edilmiştir. Ayrıca belediyeler akıllı şehir bileşenlerine örnek teşkil eden uygulamalara göre karşılaştırılmıştır. Seçilen şehirlerden İstanbul, Bursa, Ankara ve Antalya şehirlerinin akıllı şehir bileşenlerinin çoğunu kullandığı tespit edilmiştir. Çalışmanın yapılma amacı belediyelerin akıllı şehir ve dijital dönüşüm kavramına ait politikalarını belirlemektir. Belediyelerin akıllı şehir uygulamaları tablolaştırılıp hangi alanlarda çalışmaları olduğu tespit edilmeye çalışılmıştır. Böylelikle yapılan bu çalışma başarılı uygulamaların yapıldığı şehirlerimizdeki çalışmaların geliştirilmesine uygulamanın olmadığı şehirlerimizi ise teşvik edip, bu şehirlerimize örnek niteliği taşımaktadır.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Solid waste management in Ecuador is the responsibility of the municipal autonomous decentralised governments and is structured in a value chain from waste collection to final disposal. This study aims to assess the impact of municipal governance, public engagement, and the presence of regulations on the quantity of solid waste collected and the probability of service delivery within the value chain. The existing body of research concerning solid waste management at the municipal level in Ecuador is relatively sparse, particularly in terms of longitudinal studies. This gap highlights the need for further investigation, as the current limitations in data hinder a comprehensive understanding of the subject.METHODS: The estimation of the relationships was developed through panel data models, focusing on both the volume of collections and probability of providing recovery, storage, transfer and disposal services. The explanatory variables are quality of the territorial development and land use plan goals, targets and indicators. Furthermore, these factors involve the execution of the investment plan budget financial sustainability, efficiency of expenditure, fiscal dependence, participation system, participation mechanisms, participatory budget, control mechanisms, public accountability, ordinance, municipal agency and gross value added. The current study investigates solid waste collection and the delivery of services in the value chain as the dependent variables, analyzing data from 221 municipalities in Ecuador during the timeframe of 2017 to 2022.FINDINGS: The findings indicate that in smaller municipalities, citizen participation ­– either through participatory budgeting or control mechanisms – influences solid waste collection. In the realm of financial management, the significance of fiscal dependency and financial sustainability is prominent; however, the aspect of planning typically does not exhibit a considerable impact. The chances of offering services such as storage, transfers, and utilization, characterized by limited regulatory oversight, are shaped by fiscal reliance and the existence of relevant ordinances, with no observable effect from citizen participation.CONCLUSION: The outcomes related to citizen participation and waste management are generally more favorable in smaller municipalities. This phenomenon can be linked to their enhanced social cohesion and less complex administrative systems, which promote the successful implementation of policies and initiatives that cater to the unique needs of the community. On the other hand, larger municipalities face greater challenges, such as bureaucracy and complexity in service coordination, which limits the impact of citizen participation. To increase the efficiency of solid waste management services in municipalities, irrespective of their size, it is crucial to innovate in fiscal management and to adopt clear regulatory frameworks.

The values ​​governing the structure of Seljuk tribal power were one of the reasons for their success in achieving political and military authority. However, these Turks needed a serious revision of their nomadic traditions during the stage of developing an authoritarian government and transitioning from the tribal to the monarchy system. This issue led to the ongoing tensions between centralist and centrifugal forces. These challenges were mostly the succession crises and the precedence of power among family hierarchies and led to continuous clashes and the development of numerous local governments in different parts of the Seljuk Empire. Al-Shomleh in Khuzestan was one of these centrifugal forces who took advantage of the structural weakness of Seljukian with the support of a group of Afsharid Turkmen and use of Atabaki institution and developed Atabaki government in Khuzestan and some parts of Ajam Iraq and Arab Iraq for forty years. The present article aims to investigate the process of development of this local family until its failure through the course of its historical and political developments.

This article explores the narratives of local public officials involved in leading efforts to develop climate change policies in innovative Turkish municipalities. The objective of the article is to offer insights into the leadership roles of these public officials, aiming to uncover distinct leadership features while crafting climate change policies within Turkish municipalities and to propose distinctive types of leadership they exhibited. To elucidate the dimensions of public officials' leadership, the research employs a narrative research approach. Accordingly, leadership features identified from the literature are utilized as the analytical framework for the narratives. The results demonstrate that the interviewed public officials exhibited common leadership attributes that impact the shaping of climate change policies. This is particularly valuablein cases where the central government may not be sufficiently ambitious in taking steps forward. Additionally, the research indicates that officials' leadership styles vary, even though they exhibit common leadership features. Plain language summary: Exploring Climate Leadership of Public Officials in Turkish Municipalities In this research, I look into the narratives of public officials in Turkish municipalities leading efforts to develop climate change policies. I aim to uncover the distinct leadership features exhibited by these officials, shedding light on their roles in shaping climate policies within local governments. Addressing the climate crisis requires significant transformations in human systems, and local leadership is crucial in this process. Through the study, I seek to understand the leadership roles of public officials in Turkish municipalities, acknowledging their potential impact on climate change policymaking. I employed a narrative research approach, capturing the stories of five public officials involved in pioneering climate change policymaking in Turkish municipalities. I analyzed these narratives using established criteria defining climate leadership. I found that the interviewed public officials shared common leadership attributes involving visionary thinking, taking action, and acting in a certain way; however, their leadership styles varied. I highlighted the significance of these officials in adopting a pro-environmental approach and acting within the framework of three identified key leadership features. The findings emphasize the importance of recognizing public officials, alongside well-known political leaders at the local level, for their vital role in climate change policymaking. Their consistent leadership becomes crucial when the central government lacks ambition in climate change policymaking. Acknowledging these officials' unique advantage in assuming this responsibility can enhance climate action. However, I recognize the need for caution in generalizing case-specific findings and call for further research on political and climate leadership in different contexts to improve policymaking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender differences in local financial management are, according to empirical grounds, a reality that predetermines differences in the fiscal performance of municipalities led by women and men. The position of women leaders in public administration and their influence on sources of income, the nature of expenses, and the level of indebtedness have been a popular research issue in recent years, but it includes an almost unexplored gender dimension that needs deeper analysis. For this reason, the main aim of the paper is to examine the relationship between women's representation in local politics (mayor and councilors) and local indebtedness, emphasizing the assumption about observed better fiscal discipline in municipalities led by female local authorities. The econometric estimations based on the panel data approach are conducted on the sample of twenty-seven European Union countries in the period 2011-2021 using the share of female mayors and female local councilors as explanatory variables. Further, we test the effects of the moment of the EU accession and the degree of fiscal decentralization to offer deeper insights into the problem. Results support the assumption of an inverse relationship between female mayors and local indebtedness, while female local councilors do not cause any statistically significant impact on local indebtedness. Other results show that the number of women in local politics and the degree of fiscal decentralization are important to consider when examining this relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Omer Halisdemir Universitesi Iktisadi ve Idari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi is the property of Omer Halisdemir University, Faculty of Economics & Admistrative Sciene and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Athenaeum: Polskie Studia Politologiczne is the property of Faculty of Political Science & Security Studies Nicolaus Copernicus University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Issue prioritization is the first stage of attention-based theories of decision-making, but remains theoretically and empirically uncharted territory in public administration research. We propose and test how issue prioritization is informed by the characteristics of the performance information on which decision-makers rely, in particular its source (internal or external information), nature (objective or subjective information), aspiration level (historical, social, or coercive aspirations), and required cognitive effort (attention costs). Furthermore, we theorize how these characteristics of performance information determine issue prioritization decisions of political and managerial decision-makers in different ways. We empirically examine issue prioritization decisions in road maintenance and primary school education using a discrete choice experiment among 2,313 local government officials. The experiment reveals that decision-makers are more likely to prioritize issues that are signaled through objective performance measures and that are articulated relative to coercive aspirations, but that the effects of the information's source and attention costs differ between policy domains. Comparison of observational variation regarding decision-makers' roles indicates that public managers more strongly prioritize road maintenance issues that are articulated in objective performance information, but not in primary school education. The study advances public administration research and theory with a "horizontal" behavioral perspective on decision-makers' information processing to prioritize between simultaneous performance issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The financing of nutrition in educational institutions is one of the cornerstones of the activities of local governments in Poland. Proper management of this area is crucial to ensuring that children and young people have access to wholesome meals, which directly affects their health, physical development, as well as educational effectiveness. Objective: This study aimed to examine how school principals and parents perceive the role of local governments in managing school nutrition in Poland, given the growing importance of nutrition programs for children's health. Methods: A survey was conducted with 200 school principals and 1000 parents, assessing satisfaction with the implementation, quality, and organization of nutrition programs overseen by local authorities. Results: The results revealed significant differences between the two groups. While 75% of principals expressed satisfaction with the quality of meals provided in schools, only 55% of parents shared this view. Similarly, 80% of principals rated the organization of cooperation with food suppliers positively, compared to only 50% of parents. Regarding allergen information, 65% of principals felt adequately informed, while only 30% of parents agreed. These differences were statistically significant in several key areas, including adherence to nutrition standards (p = 0.009), frequency of health inspections (p = 0.009), and availability of allergen information (p = 0.013). Conclusions: The findings highlight a need for improved communication and collaboration between schools, parents, and local governments to enhance the effectiveness of nutrition programs. It is recommended that regular informational meetings be held and that the flow of information be improved to increase parental satisfaction and the overall effectiveness of school nutrition initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Urban citizenship' connotes to statuses and practices centred around the relationship between a locality and (all) individuals present or residing within its territory. This alternative imagination of citizenship (as opposed to formal nation-state citizenship) is based on a presumption of belonging for persons present/resident in the locality (ius domicii) and includes those typically excluded by the nation-state, in a radical vision of equality and non-discrimination. But domestic legal competences of local governments vary significantly across jurisdictions. This article, based on field research in Turkey and Switzerland, explores what role such domestic competences, or the regulation of local governments, plays in facilitating, encouraging, discouraging or obstructing local governments' engagement with radically inclusive urban citizenship practices. First operationalising the concept of 'regulation' and establishing Turkey and Switzerland as low- and high-regulation country contexts respectively, this article identifies four ways in which regulation shapes urban citizenship practices of local governments: (a) by shaping local governments' perception on their own autonomy; (b) by influencing whether local governments engage in legally foreseen or extra-legal practices; (c) by informing whether and how much local governments categorise different groups of rights-holders and; (d) by affecting which scales these urban citizenship practices are exercised in (upwards, downwards, horizontal). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales is the property of Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Politicas y Sociales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Several remedies can be adopted in the fight against organized crime and mafias. One of the most effective is the confiscation of their assets. After confiscation, assets can be used to provide services to citizens, frequently thanks to the support of non-profit organizations. With a focus on Italy, this study investigates the transparency of the confiscation process and the factors that explain why local governments provide (or do not provide) information on confiscated assets. Points for practitioners: To facilitate dialogue with citizens, it is essential to consider the perspective of data users, so as to avoid focusing on the data provider. Such a dialogue can aid the adequate reuse of assets confiscated from the mafia and other criminal organizations, contributing to the 'social' fight against them. This article contributes to the debate on both transparency and studies on mafia organizations, providing a new insight through the consideration of how external pressures can drive public-sector entities to be more transparent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Territorially, Spanish public administrations are organized into State Administration, Autonomous Community Administration, and Local Administration. Local government has the closest contact with citizens and therefore the powers and decisions taken by local institutions have the greatest impact on the social welfare of citizens. To ensure this well-being, it is necessary to analyze and pay attention to the administrative and financial autonomy of local governments. Financial autonomy translates into the capacity of local entities to govern their respective finances, determining, within certain limits, the level of the volume of their own resources and organizing their expenditures. In this work, we study the Financial Autonomy Indicator, which aims to determine the tax resources available to the local entity. Taking into account that Spanish municipalities have, depending on their population size, different obligations when providing services to citizens, the convergence of financial autonomy is studied to detect whether there are common trends by applying the techniques of β -convergence and σ -convergence. It is analyzed whether municipalities starting from lower indicators achieve higher growth over time (β -convergence), and whether dispersion between municipalities is reduced (σ -convergence). Points for practitioners: Local autonomy grants local entities the freedom to manage their own interests within the State's legal framework. Greater economic diversity and the ability to raise more money on their own through taxes, fees, and other sources characterize larger communities. They have a wider tax base thanks to their higher economic diversification, which opens up more opportunities for revenue collection. The speed of convergence is highest in the smallest municipalities. Knowing whether there is convergence or divergence in financial autonomy can help policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most microeconomic models consider that expanding the land supply would enlarge the housing stock, reducing the pressure on house prices to increase. Using 234 prefecture-level city data from 2011 to 2020 in China, we find land supply is positive with house prices, suggesting this widely used conclusion is invalid in China. Besides, the positive relation between house prices and land supply is more pronounced in the higher house price area. We consider local governments utilize the relevant land revenue to attract industries and build infrastructure, resulting in a positive externality of increased land supply and a rise in housing prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Mukaddime Journal is the property of Mukaddime Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of PLANARCH - Design & Planning Research is the property of Ataturk University Coordinatorship of Scientific Journals and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article focuses on the economic impacts of the energy crisis (2022-2023) on local governments in the Slovak Republic and the Czech Republic, specifically analyzing the budgets of the Trenčín and Zlín self-governing regions. Topics include the extent of budget limitations faced by local governments, the suspension of development activities due to high energy prices, and the effectiveness of governmental support in mitigating these impacts.

The article focuses on leadership and communication in the sustainable management of local governments, specifically through the perspective of Slovak mayors. Topics include the role of mayors in promoting sustainability, the need for improved knowledge and resources from the state, and the importance of effective communication strategies to engage citizens in sustainability efforts.

In recent years, sustainability as a concept has become the subject of several scientific debates. Along with the smart city trend, emphasis is also being placed on the sustainability of cities and towns, yet there is a research gap for smaller municipalities where there is no current scope for increasing the level of digitization or implementing smart city practices. Sustainability here has to be achieved differently, in particular through communication and transparency. This issue is addressed in the present research, which examines 116 Slovak municipalities, as well as their strategic documents and online communication with citizens, using a content analysis method. The study aims to provide knowledge about the functioning of online communication in Slovak local governments by answering seven research questions. These are linked to two research hypotheses, which are also evaluated using a statistical test. One of the main findings is that the overall sustainability work in a local government is dependent on its size. Thus, larger local governments are more likely to implement sustainability. It was also found that larger villages and towns use term sustainability more actively in their strategies than the smaller ones. Additionally, more information channels do not always mean better informing about plans and strategies connected to sustainability in local governments. This paper presents the findings from our research, which can contribute to the field of local government research and management by broadening the view on smaller villages and their functioning in terms of online communication with inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article collects and analyzes approaches to understanding and conditions of application and implementation of discretionary powers of local self-government bodies in the sphere of land relations of foreign states. The realities of modern life require public authorities not only to timely and fully fulfill their tasks, but also to comply with high standards of integrity. The described tasks and goals are especially important in the implementation of discretionary rights and duties that can be carried out with a certain freedom of action or at all - at their own discretion. The scientific novelty of the study is that this study in the context of the application of administrative discretion of representative and executive bodies of local self-government is carried out for the first time and can be the basis for reviewing the content of national legislation on these issues and significantly influence the development of legal policy on these issues. The author analyzes the existing normative legal acts that are used by municipalities in different states to exercise their administrative functions at their own discretion on this issue. The study concerns both general approaches to understanding administrative discretion, which often takes place through the adoption of legislation on administrative procedure (their principles, legal certainty and purpose), and the options for their application to the sphere of land relations. The article describes the legal regulation of these phenomena in countries such as Italy, Spain, Germany, Austria, USA, France, Great Britain, Norway, Albania, Finland, Bulgaria, establishes patterns, trends and common features of legal regulation, speaks of successful practices, successful experience and prospects for its adoption into the national legal system. The author focuses on the trends in the development of administrative discretion and the importance of digitalization, openness, dialogue and public participation in resolving issues of land relations and concludes on the state of legal certainty of powers, which can be exercised at the discretion of municipalities only by describing the general requirements for the behavior of the latter, to a lesser or greater extent limits the freedom of their operation by law and always grants the right to interested persons to challenge decisions made that affect the sphere of their interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of History of Islam is the property of Baqir al-Olum University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Today, issues such as migration, unemployment, informal employment, poverty, disasters, urban resilience, sustainability, ecological security, urban waste, climate change, urban crime, terrorism, and social inclusion of disadvantaged groups are considered wicked problems. These are difficult to define and uncertain; the methods used in the struggle are not functional, cannot be solved with a single policy, and require the cooperation of many participants. Especially given the transboundary nature of these problems, cooperation is mandatory. Local governments, which are the most effective in tackling wicked problems, play a critical role in this cooperation. Local governments carry out all international cooperation activities under the umbrella of "city diplomacy." In this context, the aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of city diplomacy activities carried out by the cities affected by wicked problems and therefore their administrations, municipalities, in combating these problems. The study used the Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality as a sample. We determined the municipality's activity reports as the primary source and analyzed city diplomacy activities from 2010 to 2022. We analyzed and grouped the data according to city diplomacy tools, and we conducted interviews with various units of Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality and relevant organizations between November 14 and 30, 2023, to obtain detailed information about the data. The study concluded that city diplomacy activities are effective in tackling wicked problems. Discussing the role of local governments and the diplomacy activities they carry out in combating wicked problems through different city examples will provide insight into the more strategic use of this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The openness of scientific facilities and instruments is a part of open science, which can help improve the efficiency of resource utilization and promote more research outputs. Policies is a key driving force for the openness, but studies to analyze such policies are still lackluster. This study conducted a text analysis of 23 central government policies and 65 local government policies in the time-tool framework, and found two types of authority tools: mandatory openness and duplicate review, as well as various incentive tools to give positive and negative payment. It reveals that provincial governments follow and tighten the screws of authority tools from the central government, and meanwhile, carry out policy innovation in incentive tools. Based on the investigation of practice in the openness of scientific facilities and instruments, this study proposes four policy suggestions: paying more attention to the utilization rate and outputs, improving the institutional design of duplicate review at different levels, linking research funding to open sharing, and promoting talent development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Everyone has the right to feel welcome, safe and be able to access public green spaces without fear, anxiety or stress. However, the term "accessibility" is primarily used in relation to physical accessibility, while social and cultural dimensions of accessibility to urban public green spaces remains underexplored. Methods and tools for universal design and management that also meets the needs of marginalised groups, are needed. This requires involvement of both users and potential users through participatory methods, building on individual needs and perspectives. In Sweden, traditionally marginalised groups and non-users are rarely engaged in the development of public urban green spaces. Local governments may have the will, but lack resources and appropriate methods in order to do so. Research has recently described a further engagement of users as an unleashed potential in relation to planning and management of urban green spaces. Based on the study of three test beds and the use of public green space governance and management theory, we developed a process model for user participation in green space maintenance with focus on involving marginalised groups and non-users. The model balances what is theoretical optimal with what is practically feasible within the daily work of a municipal organisation. We present an empirically tested process model that can form the basis for future maintenance of urban green spaces, with the use of limited resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Environmental & Social Management Journal / Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental is the property of Environmental & Social Management Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)