In search of the optimal size for local government: an assessment of economies of scale in local government in Croatia

Buljan, Antonija; Švaljek, Sandra; Deskar-Škrbić, Milan

doi:10.1080/03003930.2021.2007080

Cited by 5 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In other words, as suggested by Rose [53], the effect of size "is not merely a byproduct of the compositional characteristics of the individual living in different sized municipalities", suggesting that municipal size seems also to be neutral in term of citizens' interest in (and knowledge of) local politics [54]. However, while it is reasonable to expect size to be relevant, the nature of the relationship may vary from one form of participation to another [55]. In Norway, central government has recently designed a framework to consolidate municipalities based on a voluntary program.…”

Section: Literaturementioning

confidence: 97%

“…Some scholars have also argued that population size is suboptimal as a proxy of municipal output as local government areas with similar population sizes can have different economic, demographic, topographical, and spatial characteristics [54,66]. Buljan et al [55] found other important determinants of per-capita expenditures in local units as well, such as population density and other socioeconomic factors. For instance, quantitative analyses have demonstrated that residential density differs from one advanced country, city, and time to another [2].…”

Section: Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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Seeking the Optimal Dimension of Local Administrative Units: A Reflection on Urban Concentration and Changes in Municipal Size

et al. 2022

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In the search for a better administrative functioning as a key dimension of economic performances, changes in municipal boundaries and the creation (or suppression) of local administrative units reflect a progressive adjustment to a spatially varying population size and density. With intense population growth, municipal size reflects the overall amount (and spatial concentration) of services and infrastructures, being functionally related with agglomeration economies, land availability for building, and specific sociodemographic attributes of local communities. Based on these premises, the intrinsic relationship between settlement expansion, population growth, and municipal size in a metropolitan region of Southern Europe (Attica, hosting the Greater Athens’ area in Central Greece) was investigated in this study over nearly one century as a contribution to a refined investigation of the (changing) organization of local administrative units under a complete metropolitan cycle from urbanization to reurbanization. Based on descriptive statistics, mapping, (parametric and nonparametric) correlation coefficients, and econometric techniques, a quantitative analysis of the relationship between population size and density and municipal area provides pivotal knowledge to policy and planning adjustments toward a more balanced spatial distribution of population and administered land among local government units. Together with a slight decrease in the average municipal size over time, the average population density per municipal unit increased systematically, with a considerable reduction in spatial heterogeneity of settlements. The observed goodness-of-fit of the linear model explaining municipal area with population density, increased significantly over time. Empirical results of our study indicate that municipal size has slowly adjusted to population density across metropolitan areas, determining an imbalanced spatial distribution of resident population and a supposedly less efficient government partition. The recent administrative reform of local authorities in Greece (the so-called ‘Kallikratis’ law) seems to consolidate–rather than rebalance this organizational structure over space, reflecting spatially polarized settlements. Such conditions represent a base for informed analysis of the spatial structure of local administrative units as a pivotal element of economic sustainability and may contribute to the debate on the optimal size of municipalities at both urban and metropolitan scales of governance.

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Section: Literaturementioning

confidence: 97%