Devolution,Evolution, Revolution … Democracy? What's Really Happening to English Local Governance?

The Cities and Local Government Devolution Bill 2015–2016[HL] was introduced into the House of Lords as Bill No. 1 in the 2015–2016 parliamentary session. The Bill forms a critical element of the government's high‐profile policy of devolving powers and responsibilities to local areas within England. The transition from first‐generation ‘city deals’ to second‐generation ‘devolution deals’ within five years provides a sense of the pace and development of the reform agenda but there is also a strong sense that something is missing. ‘Missing’ in the sense of an understanding of the specific type of devolution on offer, ‘missing’ in the sense of how an explosion of bilateral new ‘deals’ will be offset against the obvious risks of fragmentation and complexity, and ‘missing’—most importantly—in relation to the democratic roots that might be put in place to counterbalance the economic thrust and make the reform agenda sustainable. It is in exactly this context that this article argues that the full potential of the current devolution agenda will only be realised when the Conservative government fulfils its September 2014 commitment to wider civic engagement about how England is governed.     

Participatory Budgeting in Australian Local Government: An Initial Assessment and Critical Issues

Participatory budgeting (PB), a process whereby governments seek direct input from citizens into financial decisions, is gaining a foothold in the community engagement practices of Australian local governments. Following questions of definition, we survey the theoretical terrain, locating PB within several components of local democracy. We then provide details of six PB processes in New South Wales, Victoria, and Western Australia. We identify several questions for the future of PB in Australian local governments, including the role of deliberative practices as part of the broader work of councils, the issue of the adaptability of councils and leaders, the impacts upon state and local governments, and the role of third parties. The article concludes by reflecting on how PB sits with democratic practices at the local level if it continues to be implemented.     

How High Should They Jump? An Empirical Method for Setting Municipal Financial Ratio Performance Benchmarks

Heightened concerns regarding the financial sustainability of local councils have resulted in an increasing reliance by municipal regulators on financial ratio performance benchmarking. However, these benchmarks are often assigned without explicit justification and despite a paucity of empirical evidence. Furthermore, regulators typically allocate a single performance benchmark across an entire local government system despite the fact that individual councils may face entirely different operating environments. Failure to take account of the environmental challenges facing councils can result in inappropriate or unattainable performance benchmarks that may give rise to unintended consequences, such as the well‐documented threshold effects. To address this problem, we develop an empirical method for allocating performance benchmarks with respect to the current level of performance and environmental constraints facing individual local authorities. We demonstrate this technique in a case study using data drawn from New South Wales local authority operating ratios.     

Less Haste,More Speed: The Fit for the Future Reform Program in New South Wales Local Government

In August 2011 the New South Wales (NSW) Government established the Independent Local Government Review Panel to examine the options for improving the sustainability of the NSW local government sector. In October 2014 the NSW Government set out its response in its Fit for the Future reform program. This paper provides a critical assessment of the Fit for the Future program. We show that it contains errors, relies on unreliable data, and neglects important factors, which may be ascribed to the haste with which it has been constructed. This could have serious consequences given the potential impact the Fit for the Future program will have on NSW local government. We thus conclude that it would be prudent to address these matters before proceeding further with the program.     

Slow Change at the Top: ‘Old Hands’ and ‘Accidental Executives’ in New South Wales Local Government

Scholars and practitioners alike have recognised that an increased role for women leaders in Australian local government would strengthen the sector, yet little research to date has examined the career paths of non‐elected officials. This article combines the gender in organisations literature with career theory to examine the career paths of 16 general managers (GMs) in New South Wales. We found that half the participants had linear career paths based entirely within local government and half had boundaryless careers originating outside the sector. This second cohort consisted overwhelmingly of women. Nevertheless, a high incidence of happenstance characterised both career types. Several participants saw themselves pitted against a gendered (i.e. male) group of ‘old hands’ who were resistant to change being driven by ‘accidental executives’, a high proportion of whom were women. The findings have implications for a sector attempting to attract and retain skilled staff, particularly women.     

和谐社会构建中的地方政府行为规范

本文对和谐社会及地方政府行为规范等相关理论进行了梳理,从和谐社会的视角分析了中国地方政府的不规范行为现象,提出了规范地方政府行为、构建和谐社会的对策和方法。     

公安派出所情报信息工作疏议

情报信息工作在整个公安工作中居于先导地位。派出所是公安工作的重要基层单位,是收集荻取各种情报信息的重要渠道和来源。派出所只有把握好收集的内容、方法、要求,才能真正做好情报信息工作。     

中央与地方政府间关系的司法调节

中央和地方政府间结构关系主要有两种模式 :相互控制和重叠统治。相互控制模式的设计使得各级政府在组成、立法和执行上相互依赖 ,通过立法、行政过程中的体制保障机制来协调政府间的关系。这种方式有诸多弊端。用司法方式调节中央和地方政府关系 ,通过裁决个别纠纷 ,可以间接协调政府间关系 ,其方式有不为人注意的重大好处。中央与地方关系难题的治本之策是吸收重叠统治模式的优点并建立真正意义上的司法权。     

试论城镇化过程中地方政府职能的定位

地方政府的政策取向和行政行为将会在加快和阻碍城镇化进程上起决定性作用。城镇化实质就是农村(农业)剩余劳动力的空间位移过程,城镇化过程中地方政府职能的定位目标,就是通过地方政府的行为,解决推进中国城镇化进程中的核心问题,其地方政府的具体职能有四个方面。     

全球化视角下农村与城市发展关系的新模式

全球化本身并不会导致或防止人口和生产向城市集中。目前发展中国家存在的过度城市化问题多源于其特定的经济发展战略。在自由开放的国际、国内贸易条件下 ,如果政府能够对小型的农户、制造商和贸易商基于农村的生产经营活动给以充分的支持 ,扭转农村和城市之间正在扩大的差距是可能的