This article evaluates the results and impacts of administrative modernization in Germany after more than 10 years of New Public Management experience, concentrating on the most advanced level of public sector reform: local authorities. Drawing on a broad empirical basis, the authors pursue the following questions: Do “Weber‐ ian” administrative structures and processes continue to characterize the German public sector, or have the reforms left behind lasting traces of a managerial administration? Are local authorities performing better today, and if so, can this be attributed to the New Public Management modernization? The presented results show that no paradigm shift from the “Weberian” bureaucracy to New Public Management has occurred so far. Performance improvements notwithstanding, the new mix of steering instruments causes numerous unintended consequences, causing “Weberian” administration to reemerge.

Territorial reform is the most radical and contested reorganisation of local government. A sound evaluation of the outcome of such reforms is hence an important step to ensure the legitimation of any decision on the subject. However, in our view the discourse on the subject appears to be one sided, focusing primarily on overall fiscal effects scrutinised by economists. The contribution of this paper is hence threefold: Firstly, we provide an overview off territorial reforms in Europe, with a special focus on Eastern Germany as a promising case for crosscountry comparisons. Secondly, we provide an overview of the analytical classifications of these reforms and context factors to be considered in their evaluation. And thirdly, we analyse the literature on qualitative performance effects of these reforms. The results show that territorial reforms have a significant positive impact on functional performance, while the effects on participation and integration are indeed ambivalent. In doing so, we provide substantial arguments for a broader, more inclusive discussion on the success of territorial reforms.

No abstract

This contribution investigates the exogenous and endogenous determinants of local government debts in Germany. The municipality cannot influence exogenous factors, whereas endogenous factors are largely driven by the local political competition and exhibit their effects mainly in the local context. Triangulation of different methods is used to reach robust results, encompassing both quantitative research methods and qualitative methods like case studies and interviews. The analysis can thus show, that the local debts are not only explained by socioeconomic, demographic, and income factors, but that political-institutional factors like the local constitutional law, the mayor's party affiliation and the size of the local council are also relevant. In addition, the case studies lend support to the hypothesis that consensus arrangements in the municipality lead to a better financial situation.

No abstract