The Pitfalls of Political Decentralization and Proposals for Reform: The Case of New York City Public Schools

Segal, Lydia

doi:10.2307/977062

Cited by 24 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…These superior considerations demand a certain degree of control and arrangements for approving local government actions. In addition, extensive delegation of authority to many smaller units makes it hard for each decision maker to handle increasingly complex problems on their own (Segal 1997). For this reason, Scharpf (1978, 352; considers coordinating interaction between the local and central level a crucial element in complex modern societies.…”

Section: The Dilemma In Central Local Government Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prefectoral Systems and Central?Local Government Relations in Scandinavia

Bjørnå

Jenssen

2006

Scand Pol Studs

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As prefectoral systems are generally regarded to be systems that underpin and serve as the basis for centralization, this article examines how they have developed and how they work, and why they are still considered necessary in decentralized Scandinavia. The article finds that the prefect's authority towards the municipalities varies in Scandinavia. The Norwegian and Swedish prefectures hold rather powerful roles, while the Danish ones do not. The article suggests that this may have something to do with the need for an institution that brings about cohesion and coordination. Prefectoral systems are basically pragmatic solutions to the problem of enforcing national standards and common values across regions and municipalities, but their role may vary with institutional conditions created by local government reforms. The article further suggests that the authority of the prefecture varies with the character of central‐local relations, and that it is vulnerable to changes in dominant political goals and values.

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Section: The Dilemma In Central Local Government Relationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prefectoral Systems and Central?Local Government Relations in Scandinavia

Bjørnå

Jenssen

2006

Scand Pol Studs

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“…A third argument against decentralization is that one of the main disadvantages thereof is that small communities are unable and unequipped to handle such inherently complex problems (Segal 1997;Prud'homme 1995). Large public agencies are seen as necessary for the recruitment of qualified and skilled staff (Walsh 1996: 72).…”

Section: The Arguments Against Decentralizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The rise and fall of decentralization: A comparative analysis of arguments and practices in European countries

Vries

2000

European J Political Res

149

103

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This paper addresses the arguments in favour of both the decentralization and centralization of public policy making. It points out that the same arguments are sometimes used to advance either claim and that in different countries opposite arguments are used to support the same claim. Clearly, the inherent features of centralization and decentralization are far from obvious. A closer look at the attention given to the issue by political parties at the national level in four European countries reveals that decentralization becomes an issue in these countries at different periods and as a cause of different arguments, which rather reflect the dominant values in the political culture than refer to inherent properties of decentralization itself. An analysis of opinions of local elites points at the relation between their opinion on decentralizing responsibilities in a specific field and the support for existing institutional arrangements, their own influence in the policy field and the predisposition towards decentralization tendencies. This results in the conclusion that the support for decentralization tendencies is more closely related to existing specific institutional arrangements, and to the degree to which it is expected to influence one's own position, than to its inherent merits.

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“…These local districts had the power to hire their own superintendents and retained control of the budget, curriculum, and hiring (Russo, 1995a;Russo, 1995b;Sandidge et aI., 1996). Some of the districts quickly became corrupt as jobs were either purchased or given to family, friends, or constituents (Segal, 1997). This continued for almost 30 years until 1997 when scandals and investigations became public and the law changed to take budget and hiring powers away from the local boards (Segal, 1997).…”

Section: New York City New Yorkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some of the districts quickly became corrupt as jobs were either purchased or given to family, friends, or constituents (Segal, 1997). This continued for almost 30 years until 1997 when scandals and investigations became public and the law changed to take budget and hiring powers away from the local boards (Segal, 1997). New York City Schools continues to recover from decades of abuse and disinterest in education (Segal, 1997).…”

Section: New York City New Yorkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This continued for almost 30 years until 1997 when scandals and investigations became public and the law changed to take budget and hiring powers away from the local boards (Segal, 1997). New York City Schools continues to recover from decades of abuse and disinterest in education (Segal, 1997). As one board member stated, "I've never heard the word 'children' or 'education' enter into our discussions in the past few years ... with anybody" (Segal, 1997, p. 142).…”

Section: New York City New Yorkmentioning

confidence: 99%

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School-based decision making (SBDM) councils and their efficacy and productivity as perceived by council members.

Stenton¹

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husband, Thomas, and son, Michael, for all of the sacrifices they made so that this is even possible.I would also like to dedicate this to my parents, Sharon and Rod Shrout, who instilled in me a love and appreciation for education and life-long learning. The results of the study showed that, in general, council members had a positive perception of the productivity and efficacy of the councils. There were no differences between the perceptions of parents and principals, nor between principals and teachers/staff. There was, however, a difference between parents and teachers/staff in v regards to efficacy, with parents revealing a higher rating than teachers. Although the difference was statistically significant, it was small in magnitude.Additional research explored the amount of variance in efficacy and productivity in relation to several predictor variables. The amount of variance in the average efficacy score could be predicted by the contrast between parents and principals/staff, relevant information, use of committees, and training activities. The amount of variance in the average productivity score could be predicted by the contrast between parents and I teachers/staff, relevant information, use of committees, training activities, school level, and level of efficiency. Additionally, there were significant differences among schools both for teachers and for parents in regards to both efficacy and productivity.

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The Pitfalls of Political Decentralization and Proposals for Reform: The Case of New York City Public Schools

Cited by 24 publications

References 11 publications

Prefectoral Systems and Central?Local Government Relations in Scandinavia

Prefectoral Systems and Central?Local Government Relations in Scandinavia

The rise and fall of decentralization: A comparative analysis of arguments and practices in European countries

School-based decision making (SBDM) councils and their efficacy and productivity as perceived by council members.

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