Rural Municipalities And The Reform Of Local Government

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Usually functioning in parallel to the proportional electoral system, community-level governments are rooted in mostly rural areas where traditional agricultural production is the norm. The legitimacy of community-level governments is based on trust and a higher sense of community responsibility and this study finds that they could well serve as advocates of community issues, messengers in elected local councils, providers of some community public services on behalf of local government, and managers of public administration matters. Mind Your Own Business! recognizes the potential of community-level governments for new forms of representation and alternative accountability mechanisms away from the center of government. This study compares the historical precedents in South Eastern Europe and Poland for community-level governance before moving to contrast the current practice and the future of this valuable resource for bringing services and rights to rural communities. Any further decentralization reforms in the public sector must consider how to develop power in such a decisive way that local communities are empowered by opportunities for sustainable development. Book jacket.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1950.

'Written by an impressive array of experts, this book surveys local government reforms in six advanced democracies, federal and unitary, which share a municipal legacy: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the US. . . The book has an excellent bibliography and will help open up a field heretofore noted for its insularity. Recommended.' - A.J. Ward, Choice

Looks at how and why municipal governments have been created and the problems they faced in the late 1800's and early 1900's.

Local government can be defined as a public entity acting as the sub-unit of a state or of a region, charged with the task of enforcing public policies. There have been many reforms of local government in recent years from the grassroots-led movement that took root in the 90’s to the overarching effects of globalization and decentralization. Local governments must adapt their practices in order to most effectively provide for their constituents. Theoretical Foundations and Discussions on the Reformation Process in Local Government addresses the effects of recent reforms in the political-administrative system of local governments and politics as well as future outlooks. It reviews the challenges, innovations, and lessons from local governments while providing theoretical perspectives on methods for positive reform. This book is a critical reference source for policy makers, government organizations, professionals, and actors in both local and international politics.

'Structural reform has been one of the most important, and yet one of the most neglected, aspects of modern local government. This book represents the first attempt, since the early seventies, at providing a comprehensive account of both the theory and practice of structural reform in local government in developed countries. Using recent policy experience from seven different countries, the authors present seminal theoretical perspectives on structural reforms in local governance and the policy implications deriving from them. Written by well-known scholars of local government from around the world, this volume is a "must-read" for all academics, practitioners, students and policymakers.' - Giorgio Brosio, University of Turin, Italy