A Comparative Analysis of Amalgamation Reforms in Selected European Countries

Steiner, Reto; Kaiser, Claire; Eyþórsson, Grétar Þór

doi:10.1057/978-1-137-52548-2_2

Cited by 59 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…This effect is supported by the empirical results based on self-assessment and is consistent with international findings because larger municipalities can afford to employ more specialists and acquire more administrative expertise (Dafflon 1998;Steiner, Kaiser, and Eythórsson, forthcoming). The result, however, may be biased because the local secretaries, having kept their jobs after the merger, may be overenthusiastic about the professionalization in their administration.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Effects of amalgamations: evidence from Swiss municipalities

Steiner

Kaiser

2016

Public Management Review

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Many OECD countries have amalgamated their municipalities during the last couple of decades. For decisions concerning future territorial rescaling, it is crucial to augment the previously inconclusive evaluative knowledge of the effects of mergers. This paper examines the effects of amalgamations conducted between 1998 and 2009 in the areas of public service delivery, local finance, administrative staff, municipal autonomy and local democracy. The data are obtained from two comprehensive surveys of all local secretaries (top civil servants) in Switzerland in 1998 and 2009. The analysis -based upon a comparison between a quasi-experimental and a control group -(partially) supports the hypothesis of a positive effect on public service delivery, the professionalization of staff and municipal autonomy. The effect on local finance is inconclusive, and negative effects on local democracy are not discovered in the framework of this study.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

Effects of amalgamations: evidence from Swiss municipalities

Steiner

Kaiser

2016

Public Management Review

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“…As a result, in the past decades the number of municipalities across several European countries declined. The most significant decrease can be observed in Greece (−94%) and in Belgium (−75%) (Steiner, Kaiser, and Eythórsson 2016;28ff. ; see also Table 1).…”

Section: European Contextmentioning

confidence: 97%

Territorial reforms in Europe: effects on administrative performance and democratic participation

Ebinger

Kuhlmann

Bogumil

2018

Local Government Studies

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Territorial reform is the most radical and contested reorganisation of local government. A sound evaluation of the outcome of such reforms is hence an important step to ensure the legitimation of any decision on the subject. However, in our view the discourse on the subject appears to be one sided, focusing primarily on overall fiscal effects scrutinised by economists. The contribution of this paper is hence threefold: Firstly, we provide an overview off territorial reforms in Europe, with a special focus on Eastern Germany as a promising case for crosscountry comparisons. Secondly, we provide an overview of the analytical classifications of these reforms and context factors to be considered in their evaluation. And thirdly, we analyse the literature on qualitative performance effects of these reforms. The results show that territorial reforms have a significant positive impact on functional performance, while the effects on participation and integration are indeed ambivalent. In doing so, we provide substantial arguments for a broader, more inclusive discussion on the success of territorial reforms.

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“…Indeed, these forms of ADA are not unique practices in China. Since the 1960s, developed countries such as Britain, Germany, and France have optimized urban management in the context of rapid urbanization through administrative division adjustment [32][33][34]. The United States also had similar city-county consolidation.…”

Section: Administrative Divisions Adjustment and City-county Mergermentioning

confidence: 99%

The Time and Spatial Effects of A “City-County Merger” on Housing Prices—Evidence from Fuyang

Tian

Ji²,

Chen³

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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Based on the price data of 19,211 second-hand houses based in the Fuyang District and West Lake District from the years of 2014, 2015, and 2019, along with the characteristic data of second-hand houses, this paper studies the influence of the city-county merger of Fuyang. Through a combination with the double differences model and the hedonic price model, it was found that the city-county merger had time and spatial effects on housing prices. With regard to time effect, the city-county merger hindered the growth of Fuyang’s housing prices in the short term, while it had a promoting effect on Fuyang’s housing prices in the long term. With regard to the spatial effect, it was found that in the long term, the effect of the city-county merger on the promotion of Fuyang’s housing prices increased first and then weakened with an increase in distance from the West Lake District. In addition, it had the strongest effect on the promotion of housing prices within 3–6 km of the West Lake District.

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A Comparative Analysis of Amalgamation Reforms in Selected European Countries

Cited by 59 publications

References 10 publications

Effects of amalgamations: evidence from Swiss municipalities

Effects of amalgamations: evidence from Swiss municipalities

Territorial reforms in Europe: effects on administrative performance and democratic participation

The Time and Spatial Effects of A “City-County Merger” on Housing Prices—Evidence from Fuyang

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