Did the Big Stick Work? An Empirical Assessment of Scale Economies and the Queensland Forced Amalgamation Program

In 2007, the Queensland Government imposed forced amalgamation with the number of local authorities falling from 157 to just 73 councils. Amalgamation was based inter alia on the assumption that increased economies of scale would generate savings. This paper empirically examines pre- and post-amalgamation (2006/07 and 2009/10) for scale economies. For the 2006/07 data, evidence of economies of scale was found for councils with populations up to 98,000, and thereafter diseconomies of scale. Eight percent of councils in 2006/07 (ten councils) – representing 64% of the state’s population – exhibited diseconomies of scale. For the 2009/10 data, the average cost curve remained almost stationary at 99,000 residents per council, but almost 25% of all councils (thirteen councils) were now found to exhibit diseconomies of scale. The compulsory merger program thus increased the proportion of Queensland residents in councils operating with diseconomies of scale to 84%.     

Municipal Mergers in New Zealand: An Empirical Analysis of the Proposed Amalgamation of Hawke’s Bay Councils

Local government policymakers across the developed world have frequently employed municipal amalgamation to improve the operation of local councils, and New Zealand is no exception. This paper empirically examines claims made in Potential Costs and Savings of Local Government Reform in Hawke’s Bay that the merger of the five local authorities in the Hawke’s Bay Region of New Zealand would generate significant cost-savings. We empirically test for the existence of scale economies in a single merged Hawke’s Bay council and find that no cost-savings can be expected. This removes a key argument for a forced Hawke’s Bay amalgamation.     

Does Size Still Matter? An Empirical Analysis of the Effectiveness of Victorian Local Authorities

Efficiency approaches to the question of whether population size matters to optimal local government have proved largely inconclusive. However, recent exploratory empirical work employing an effectiveness approach – as proxied by citizen satisfaction survey data – offers a promising way forward. The present paper seeks to build upon an earlier cross-sectional analysis of Victorian local government by employing longitudinal data over a three-year period – 2008 to 2010 – for Victorian local authorities. The greater depth of data confirmed the positive associations with population density but suggests that negative linear relationships dominate over parabolic associations for population size. This result underlines the need for the collection of more local government citizen satisfaction data by Australian local government systems, given its potentially fruitful application in tackling contentious questions in contemporary local government policy debates.     

都市生态治理中党政干部领导力探讨

推进都市生态治理是促进区域经济社会协调可持续发展的应有之义.本文以A省S市都市生态治理中党政干部领导力为基点,阐释了S市党政干部在生态治理中发挥的核心作用,同时也发现其中面临领导动力弱化、领导效益损耗、领导协同失效、领导制度选择性执行等困局.因此,应从增强都市生态治理中党政干部领导自洽力、提升领导转换力、激活领导制度力...     

公安工作中社会主义法治理念的践行

社会主义法治理念具有丰富的内涵。公安工作践行社会主义法治理念是构建社会主义和谐社会的必然要求,是确保公安工作社会主义政治方向的客观需要,也是建设高素质公安队伍的客观需要。当前,在公安工作中应进一步增强党性观念、大局观念,牢固树立严格、文明、公正、效能、公开的执法思想,切实提高法律素养,自觉接受法律监督,从而践行社会主义法治理念的基本要求。     

实施社区和农村警务战略的难点与对策

实施社区和农村警务战略,是公安机关主动适应新形势新任务的要求,立足自身实际,不断增强自身战斗力的重要举措,但是在实践中,存在认识不足、公安决策和公安管理体制滞后、群众参与不够、民警素质有待于进一步提高等诸多问题。对此,应采取建立服务群众的工作机制,改革现行的公安管理体制和公安决策运行机制,加大对民警的培训力度,充分整合社会资源等对策。     

市场经济中的行政监管责任研究——以欧典地板事件为例

"欧典事件"暴露出行政监管部门的失职问题,有效的解决方法就是使权力由单向形式改为双向形式,即使"权力与责任相统一",使"有权力者必有责任".     

医改的抉择:政府主导还是市场化——基于医疗卫生服务及其市场特殊性的分析

医疗卫生改革理应寻求解决民众的"看病难"、"看病贵"问题.医疗卫生服务及其市场是医改中所有问题的归结点.在对医疗卫生服务与其市场的特殊性进行分析中,表明医疗服务市场不同于一般的商品市场与服务市场,在政府与市场的分工上针对其特点进行合理界定,既否决单纯的市场主导,也否决一味的市场化,而是二者的理性结合.     

地方政府债务风险的宪法学释析

地方政府债务风险的处理应当遵循宪法逻辑,即政府与公民是一种信托关系,只要公民权利的需求仍在,政府就没有破产的理由。因此,地方政府破产只是财政破产但行政不破产。在地方政府破产重整程序中,地方政府提供的保障民生的基本公共服务优先于地方债的债权,因为前者保护的是大多数人的基本生存权。诉诸民主体制才能从源头上控制政府的发债权进...     

少数民族非物质文化遗产保护与旅游行政管理研究——以云南民族歌舞为例

旅游开发对非物质文化遗产的传承和保护既有积极影响又有消极影响。旅游在为非物质文化遗产提供了保护和展示的窗口,加强了保护资金的力度,培养了群众基础的同时,如果开发不当,其商业性质又可能使得非物质文化遗产的本来面貌扭曲变形。少数民族歌舞是少数民族非物质文化遗产的重要组成部分。政府在非物质文化遗产保护与旅游开发中的特殊作用具有不可替代性。本文以云南民族歌舞为例,指出在我国少数民族非物质文化遗产旅游开发中政府应通过加强立法工作、理顺部门关系,建立非物质文化遗产名录体系,加强非物质文化遗产的传承和教育,与旅游业相结合、积极推进产业化等行政管理措施,实现少数民族非物质文化遗产保护与旅游开发利用的双赢。