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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, the territorial level of self-government based on a multi-purpose jurisdiction, 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 perceptions and interactions of key actors in local government, which form crucial components of effective and democratic policy making. Focussing on the second level of local government, it analyses new empirical data on councillors, political executives and leading bureaucrats in 15 European countries and integrates important variables such as party politics, democracy, finance, multi-level settings. Divided into 5 parts, it addresses:
Attitudes towards administrative and territorial reforms
Role perceptions and role behaviour
Political orientation
Actor constellations and governance arrangements
Political socialization and recruitment, professionalization and career patterns.
This book will be of interest to students and scholars of local government, urban studies, regional studies, political science, sociology and geography.
This book follows on from The Second Tier of Local Government in Europe (Routledge, 2011).
Contents:
1. Introduction Hubert Heinelt, Björn Egner and Xavier Bertrana
Part 1: Counties in multi-level systems and attitudes towards administrative and territorial reforms
2. The county council in a multi-level setting Anders Lidström
3. Reform of public administration and service fulfilment Max-Christopher Krapp
4. The county councils: between the revenues shortfalls and growing responsibilities Dubravka Jurlina Alibegovic and Suncana Slijepcevic
Part 2: Role perceptions and role behaviour
5. The focus of representation: a comparative analysis of county presidents and county councillors in Europe Cristina Stănus and Daniel Pop
6. Notion of democracy and the role perception and behaviour of different actors at the second level of local governance Hubert Heinelt
Part 3: Political orientation of key actors at the second level of local government
7. Party members and their ideological position over several political levels Björn Egner
8. Party Politics and County Government Colin Copus and David Sweeting
Part 4: Actor constellations in varying governance arrangements
9. Actors and levels influencing county activities: Perceptions of councillors, presidents and leading bureaucrats Panos Getimis and Nikos Hlepas
10. Networks of political executives at the second level of local government Ilona Pálné Kovács and László Kákai
Part 5: Political socialization and recruitment, professionalization and career pattern
11. The political career of county presidents and councillors in Europe Xavier Bertrana, Jaume Magre, Tony Valcke, Kristof Steyvers and Herwig Reynaert
12. Family, ambition, locality and party. A study of professionalization in the activation and apprenticeships of county presidents and councillors in Europe Eric Kerrouche
13. Political professionalization of county presidents and councillors in Europe Daniel Čermák and Dan Ryšavý
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