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Debates about multi-level governance have led to a profound restructuring of regional and local government. The second level of local government is under review in most European countries, with the aim to strengthen the institutional capacity of municipalities or to develop appropriate institutional structures for governing fragmented urban areas.
This book provides a thematic and cross-national analysis of the key actors in local government that form the crucial components of effective and democratic policy making. Focussing on the second tier of local government, it examines new empirical data on councillors from this level of government in 15 European countries and integrates important variables such as party politics, notions of democracy, finance, multi-level settings. Divided into five parts, it addresses:
Attitudes of county/provincial councillors towards administrative and territorial reforms;
Their role perceptions and role behaviour;
Their political orientation;
Actor constellations and governance arrangements;
Political socialization and recruitment, professionalization and career patterns of county/provincial councillors.
This book will be of interest to students and scholars of local government, urban studies, regional studies, political science, sociology and geography.
List of contents
Introduction Xavier Bertrana, Björn Egner and Hubert Heinelt Part 1. 2 County councils in a multi-level position: Formal powers and assumed autonomy Anders Lidström and Katarina Roos 3 Perceptions of New Public Management Reforms Hubert Heinelt and Max-Christopher Krapp 4 County councillors: between revenue shortfalls and growing responsibilities Dubravka Jurlina Alibegović and Sunčana Slijepčević Part II. 5 The political representation focuses of second tier councillors in Europe Cristina Stănuș 6 Representational styles among county and municipal councillors Jacob Aars, Bjarte Folkestad and Lawrence E. Rose 7 Patterns of gender representation in councils at the second tier of local government: Assessing the gender gap in a unexplored institutional setting Carmen Navarro and Lluís Medir 8 Notions of democracy of councillors at the municipal and second tier of local government – and their role perception and behaviour Hubert Heinelt Part III. 9 The importance of political parties in county government Colin Copus, David Sweeting and Thom Oliver 10 Parties and ideology: How parties shape their manifestos to obtain votes Björn Egner 11 Actors’ influence and horizontal power relations at the second tier of local government Panagiotis Getimis and Nikos Hlepas Part IV. 12 The political career of county councillors in Europe: Examining the internal logic of professionalization and comparative country patterns Xavier Bertrana, Jaume Magre, Joan Manel Sánchez, Kristof Steyvers, Tony Valcke and Tom Verhelst 13 Political professionalization of county councillors in Europe Dan Ryšavý and Daniel Čermák 14 Family, ambition, local rootedness and party: A study of the activation and apprenticeships of the county councillor in Europe Eric Kerrouche and Corentin Poyet
About the author
Hubert Heinelt is Professor of Public Administration/Public Policy and Urban Studies at the Institute of Political Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany.
Xavier Bertrana is a member of the Research Group on Local Government, University of Barcelona, Spain. He is also the Head of the Planning and Evaluation Unit of the Provincial Council of Barcelona.
Björn Egner is Senior Researcher at the Institute of Political Science, Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany.
Summary
This book provides a thematic and cross-national analysis of the key actors in local government that form the crucial components of effective and democratic policy making.
