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A Modern Guide to Local and Regional Politics
Utilising international material to explore the roles, functions, tasks, responsibilities, powers and actions of intra-state politicians and the institutions to which they are elected, this insightful book examines how local and regional authorities are pivotal in the democratic and governing arrangements of different countries.
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Critical Acclaim
Contributors
Contents
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Utilising international material to explore the roles, functions, tasks, responsibilities, powers and actions of intra-state politicians and the institutions to which they are elected, this insightful book examines how local and regional authorities are pivotal in the democratic and governing arrangements of different countries.
Expert contributors examine how regional and local bodies have authority over public services, local spending, land use and local regulation, while operating within the constraints and structures of their own national settings. The Modern Guide also considers the responsibility of local and regional powers in the promotion of community action and cohesion. Taking a comparative approach, country-specific chapters present detailed analyses of the similarities and differences between the shape and purpose of institutions which operate within the state and how they interact with each other and the national institutions of government.
Exploring the concepts and principles behind power structures within governmental systems, this book will be a key resource for academics and students of public policy, regulation and governance, and public administration and management. Its presentation of models of the formation of government in an international context will also be beneficial for policy-makers and practitioners in these fields.
Expert contributors examine how regional and local bodies have authority over public services, local spending, land use and local regulation, while operating within the constraints and structures of their own national settings. The Modern Guide also considers the responsibility of local and regional powers in the promotion of community action and cohesion. Taking a comparative approach, country-specific chapters present detailed analyses of the similarities and differences between the shape and purpose of institutions which operate within the state and how they interact with each other and the national institutions of government.
Exploring the concepts and principles behind power structures within governmental systems, this book will be a key resource for academics and students of public policy, regulation and governance, and public administration and management. Its presentation of models of the formation of government in an international context will also be beneficial for policy-makers and practitioners in these fields.
Critical Acclaim
‘This volume makes an important theoretical contribution by introducing the concept of “intra-state” governments to describe their critical role in governance. It is even more compelling for demonstrating the value of this concept across a broad range of countries, spanning continents.’
– Karen Mossberger, Arizona State University, US
‘Is intra-state governance about collaboration or rivalry? A Modern Guide to Local and Regional Politics edited by Colin Copus, Richard Kerley and Alistair Jones gives the reader very interesting insights. It’s an impressive collection of chapters written by an international team of scholars. This Modern Guide will be essential reading for all those interested in the topic.’
– Herwig Reynaert, Ghent University, Belgium
‘This impressive addition to the literature takes a very modern and fresh approach to the topic. The editors have assembled a key group of international scholars in the discipline to produce comprehensive, state of the art coverage across a wide and representative range of jurisdictions. All twenty-one chapters are thoughtful and reflective, packed with theory and empirical data, as well as acknowledging COVID 19. Supported by excellent figures and tables, this will become a classic reference book of the genre.’
– Joyce Liddle, Northumbria University, UK
– Karen Mossberger, Arizona State University, US
‘Is intra-state governance about collaboration or rivalry? A Modern Guide to Local and Regional Politics edited by Colin Copus, Richard Kerley and Alistair Jones gives the reader very interesting insights. It’s an impressive collection of chapters written by an international team of scholars. This Modern Guide will be essential reading for all those interested in the topic.’
– Herwig Reynaert, Ghent University, Belgium
‘This impressive addition to the literature takes a very modern and fresh approach to the topic. The editors have assembled a key group of international scholars in the discipline to produce comprehensive, state of the art coverage across a wide and representative range of jurisdictions. All twenty-one chapters are thoughtful and reflective, packed with theory and empirical data, as well as acknowledging COVID 19. Supported by excellent figures and tables, this will become a classic reference book of the genre.’
– Joyce Liddle, Northumbria University, UK
Contributors
Contributors: Andy Asquith, J. Edwin Benton, Robert Cameron, Ady Carrera, Colin Copus, Daniel Cravacuore, Koenraad De Ceuninck, Russell Deacon, Hubert Heinelt, Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir, Alistair Jones, Richard Kerley, Norbert Kersting, Colin Knox, Royce Koop Simona Kukovič, Neil McGarvey, Julienne Molineaux, Andrew Nickson, Esther Pano, Aodh Quinlivan, Katarzyna Radzik-Maruszak, Nirmala Rao, Kristof Steyvers, Filipe Teles, David Barun Kumar Thomas, Tony Valcke, Tom Verhelst
Contents
Contents:
1 Introduction: setting the scene 1
Richard Kerley, Colin Copus and Alistair Jones
PART I INTRA-STATE MODELS AND THE
TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY
2 Slovenia: the architecture of Slovenian intra-state arrangements 16
Simona Kukovič
3 Poland: local representation in Poland: between
government and governance 30
Katarzyna Radzik-Maruszak
4 Central Asia: intra-state government in Central Asian autocracies 46
Colin Knox
5 Argentina: intra-state relations in Argentina: a permanent
conflict between legal autonomy and political centralism 65
Daniel Cravacuore and Andrew Nickson
PART II THE AMERICAS
6 USA: intra-state governments in the United States: powers
and authority, elections, finances, and intergovernmental
dynamics 81
J. Edwin Benton
7 Canada: intra-state diversity and complexity 100
Royce Koop
8 Mexico: intra-state government in Mexico 116
Ady Carrera and Andrew Nickson
PART III SOUTHERN EUROPE
9 Portugal: mind the gap: the hidden challenges of intra-state
governments in Portugal 134
Filipe Teles
10 Spain: fragmentation and plurality: intra-state governments
in decentralised Spain 149
Esther Pano
PART IV NORTHERN EUROPE
11 Germany: interstate governmental relationships in Federal
Germany 168
Hubert Heinelt
12 Iceland: intrastate governments in Iceland: still more
government than governance 184
Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir
13 Belgium: intra-state government and representation in
Belgium: navigating a labyrinth or maze? 199
Kristof Steyvers, Koenraad De Ceuninck, Tony Valcke
and Tom Verhelst
PART V BRITISH ISLES
14 England: intra-state arrangements in England 218
Alistair Jones
15 Wales: ‘a work in progress’: the Senedd Cymru and Welsh
local government 234
Russell Deacon
16 Ireland: the Republic of Ireland: struggling to turn back the
tide of centralism 250
Aodh Quinlivan
17 Scotland: in the United Kingdom: modernism, territory,
devolved institutions and the union 263
Neil McGarvey and Richard Kerley
PART VI INTRA STATE RELATIONS:
COMMONWEALTH APPROACH
18 India: municipal governance in India 285
Nirmala Rao and David Barun Kumar Thomas
19 South Africa: South African local governance relations 302
Norbert Kersting and Robert Cameron
20 New Zealand: local government and governance in
Aotearoa New Zealand 315
Julienne Molineaux and Andy Asquith
21 Conclusion: intra-state government – a stable dynamic 335
Colin Copus, Alistair Jones and Richard Kerley
Index
1 Introduction: setting the scene 1
Richard Kerley, Colin Copus and Alistair Jones
PART I INTRA-STATE MODELS AND THE
TRANSITION TO DEMOCRACY
2 Slovenia: the architecture of Slovenian intra-state arrangements 16
Simona Kukovič
3 Poland: local representation in Poland: between
government and governance 30
Katarzyna Radzik-Maruszak
4 Central Asia: intra-state government in Central Asian autocracies 46
Colin Knox
5 Argentina: intra-state relations in Argentina: a permanent
conflict between legal autonomy and political centralism 65
Daniel Cravacuore and Andrew Nickson
PART II THE AMERICAS
6 USA: intra-state governments in the United States: powers
and authority, elections, finances, and intergovernmental
dynamics 81
J. Edwin Benton
7 Canada: intra-state diversity and complexity 100
Royce Koop
8 Mexico: intra-state government in Mexico 116
Ady Carrera and Andrew Nickson
PART III SOUTHERN EUROPE
9 Portugal: mind the gap: the hidden challenges of intra-state
governments in Portugal 134
Filipe Teles
10 Spain: fragmentation and plurality: intra-state governments
in decentralised Spain 149
Esther Pano
PART IV NORTHERN EUROPE
11 Germany: interstate governmental relationships in Federal
Germany 168
Hubert Heinelt
12 Iceland: intrastate governments in Iceland: still more
government than governance 184
Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir
13 Belgium: intra-state government and representation in
Belgium: navigating a labyrinth or maze? 199
Kristof Steyvers, Koenraad De Ceuninck, Tony Valcke
and Tom Verhelst
PART V BRITISH ISLES
14 England: intra-state arrangements in England 218
Alistair Jones
15 Wales: ‘a work in progress’: the Senedd Cymru and Welsh
local government 234
Russell Deacon
16 Ireland: the Republic of Ireland: struggling to turn back the
tide of centralism 250
Aodh Quinlivan
17 Scotland: in the United Kingdom: modernism, territory,
devolved institutions and the union 263
Neil McGarvey and Richard Kerley
PART VI INTRA STATE RELATIONS:
COMMONWEALTH APPROACH
18 India: municipal governance in India 285
Nirmala Rao and David Barun Kumar Thomas
19 South Africa: South African local governance relations 302
Norbert Kersting and Robert Cameron
20 New Zealand: local government and governance in
Aotearoa New Zealand 315
Julienne Molineaux and Andy Asquith
21 Conclusion: intra-state government – a stable dynamic 335
Colin Copus, Alistair Jones and Richard Kerley
Index
