If Territorial Fragmentation is a Problem, is Amalgamation a Solution? An East European Perspective

Swianiewicz, Paweł

doi:10.1080/03003930903560547

Cited by 106 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 7 publications

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“…In planning practice, a territory can be delimited by a grouping of dominant functions, not only by administrative division, creating a functional region [10,72]. The negative effects of local self-government fragmentation into a large number of small municipalities may encourage local authorities to pool the management of local resources, co-operation being the only practical alternative to amalgamation as a solution for this problem, especially if the many types of functional areas that overlap each other are taken into account [73].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Single-Use Community Facilities Support to Integrated Sustainable Development: The Aims of Inter-Municipal Cooperation in Poland, 1990–2018

Furmankiewicz

Campbell

2019

Sustainability

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The paper explores and compares the aims of the three most common legal forms of inter-municipal cooperation in Poland (engaging rural, urban-rural and urban municipalities) during the years 1990-2018: Mono-sectoral Special Purpose Unions, Municipal Associations and cross-sectoral Local Action Groups. Content analysis was applied and development priorities from the statutes and strategies were studied. The main form of territorial association evolved from, initially, mono-functional bodies concerned mainly with local infrastructural investment and managed solely by a group of local authorities, to a devolved type, consisting of multi-purpose associations managed with the participation of economic and third sector representatives. This was the result of the European Union policy of promoting territorial governance and integrated development in functional regions, this being considered as part of the process of Europeanisation. However, these successive forms of municipal cooperation do not appear to have replaced the pre-existing forms, but they have introduced additional modes of governance of local resources. The findings show that the most "integrated" and "sustainable" management of local resources is observed mainly in cross-sectoral partnerships, like Local Action Groups, but not so often in mono-sectoral municipal unions and associations led solely by local government and focused more on hard infrastructure and municipal facilities. However, given the specialisation shown by each of the three types of association, it is likely that the full range of development possibilities in the areas concerned can only be realised if all three forms of cooperation are present. The analysis confirms the positive role of local economic and social sector participation in shaping sustainable development. The findings also indicate the utility of the concept of cross-sectoral territorial partnerships in post-socialist and post-authoritarian countries lacking traditions of grassroots or participative development.Sustainability 2019, 11, 5890 2 of 21 be seen as facilitating a "neo-endogenous" or "integrated place based" model of development, in contrast to a top-down, exogenous and sectoral model focusing on single issues such as transport or agriculture and managed solely by government [4][5][6]. The place-based, neo-endogenous model implies central government support for regional and local bottom-up initiatives for development and well-being, facing one particular territory (natural or economic region, agglomeration, etc.), often requiring cooperation between stakeholders from fragmented administrative areas [7][8][9]. Integrated planning in this context is understood to involve drawing together local social, economic and ecological issues, rather than focusing only on, for instance, technical infrastructure [10]. It is often closely related to "sustainable" development, which involves an additional concern with long-term retention of local natural resources [11][12][13]. In the countries where these processes first emerged,...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From Single-Use Community Facilities Support to Integrated Sustainable Development: The Aims of Inter-Municipal Cooperation in Poland, 1990–2018

Furmankiewicz

Campbell

2019

Sustainability

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“…Nordic countries (Nelson, 1992) and the United Kingdom (Goldsmith, 2002) engaged in aggressive policies towards municipal amalgamation, leading to eliminate more than three-fourths of their municipalities. Amalgamations also occurred in France and Switzerland (Soguel, 2001;Steiner, 2000), in East European countries, such as Bulgaria and Romania (Borecky and Prudky, 2001;Hajnal, 2001;Swianiewicz, 2006Swianiewicz, , 2010, in the United States and in Canada (Kushner and Siegel, 2005;Miranda and Lerner, 1995;Sancton, 1996).…”

Section: Reasons For Municipal Amalgamation: In Search Of Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…According to Swianiewicz (2006Swianiewicz ( , 2010, countries with large municipalities are characterized by fewer income differences between municipalities, thus resulting in a lower level of social tensions compared to countries with small municipalities. In addition, Swianiewicz (2006Swianiewicz ( , 2010 argues that amalgamations tend to reduce the problem of free-riding, since large municipalities have lower incongruity between administrative boundaries and catchment areas of services.…”

Section: Reasons For Municipal Amalgamation: In Search Of Economymentioning

confidence: 99%

Explaining the Reactions of Swiss Municipalities to The ‘Amalgamation Wave’: At the crossroad of institutional, economic and political pressures

Calciolari

Cristofoli

Macciò

2012

Public Management Review

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Public sector organizations are simultaneously subject to three types of environmental pressure: institutional, economic and political. How do these pressures influence the strategic behaviour of public organizations when confronted with efficiency-oriented reforms? We focus on the strategic behaviour of Swiss municipalities facing the amalgamation wave: a reform characterized by a strong economic rationale. Results confirm that the success of reforms depends not only on its matching with economic underpinnings. It is also necessary to take the political leadership and the responsibility of reform implementation.

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“…4 . As pointed out by Swianiewicz, (2010), amalgamations, of course, also have negative effects, such as distancing citizens from decision-making bodies, the overuse of some services, and decreases in service quality. 5 .…”

Section: The Levels Of Administrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Destined to be defaulted: Local government insolvency and bailout in post-transition Hungary

Barati-Stec

2014

JEFS

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If Territorial Fragmentation is a Problem, is Amalgamation a Solution? An East European Perspective

Cited by 106 publications

References 7 publications

From Single-Use Community Facilities Support to Integrated Sustainable Development: The Aims of Inter-Municipal Cooperation in Poland, 1990–2018

From Single-Use Community Facilities Support to Integrated Sustainable Development: The Aims of Inter-Municipal Cooperation in Poland, 1990–2018

Explaining the Reactions of Swiss Municipalities to The ‘Amalgamation Wave’: At the crossroad of institutional, economic and political pressures

Destined to be defaulted: Local government insolvency and bailout in post-transition Hungary

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