Sub-National Governance in Small States : The Case of Iceland

"Small states are mostly excluded from comparative research, and also from studies on local politics. This outstanding book effectively fills this void by providing the first comprehensive analysis of subnational governance in small states. It is full of fascinating findings, and productively combines a comparative analysis of small states around the world with an in-depth analysis of local government in Iceland." - Wouter Veenendaal, Assistant Professor, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University, Belgium This book explores the development of subnational government in small states, using Iceland as a model and comparing it with small states of similar population size as well as those with larger populations. The book examines subnational government from the perspective of small state theory, providing a comprehensive overview of the basic data on subnational government for all small states with between 100,000 and 1 million inhabitants. It presents Iceland as a model for decentralization in small states, providing detailed information on the country's organization at the subnational level, and highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of decentralizing tasks from central to subnational government. Demonstrating the difference population size makes when it comes to successfully decentralizing tasks to subnational governments, this book is intended for scholars, students and practitioners alike. Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Iceland. She teaches courses in Public Administration and Political Science and has researched political and organizational leadership, local governance and public administration. Her latest publication is Gender in Organization: The Icelandic Female Council Manager Preface 6 Contents 8 List of Tables 10 1 Introduction 11 The Concept of Size in Subnational Government Research 12 The Research Design of the Book 13 Organisation of the Book 15 References 16 2 Conceptualising Key Concepts 18 The Elusive Concept of Size 19 The Interaction Between State Capacity and Decentralisation 20 The Four Paradoxes of Governance in Small States 22 Theories of Subnational Government and Governance 24 The European Charter of Local Self-Government and the Aberdeen Agenda 29 References 31 3 Decentralisation to Subnational Governments in Small States 38 Exploring the Quality of Subnational Government in Small States Worldwide 40 Subnational Government in Small States in Africa 41 Subnational Government in Small States in Asia 44 Subnational Government in Small States in the Caribbean 48 Subnational Government in Small States in the Pacific 52 Subnational Government in Small States in Europe 56 Decentralisation of Responsibilities to Subnational Government in Small States 58 References 61 4 The Nordic Local Government Model: The Icelandic Way 66 The Origin of the Icelandic Local Government System 67 The Institutional Framework of Icelandic Local Governments 69 Horizontal Power Relations at the Icelandic Local Government Level 73 Sources of Revenue for Icelandic Local Governments 75 Reforms at the Icelandic Local Government Level 76 References 79 5 Urbanisation in a Small State: The Case of Iceland 83 The Foundation of Metropolitan Areas and City-Regions 85 Urbanisation Patterns in Iceland 87 The Capital City of Reykjavík and Its Suburbs 90 Reykjavík’s City-Region as a Functional Area 92 A Big Fish in a Small Pond 95 References 96 6 The Choice Between Efficiency and Tradition 100 Political Decentralisation in Iceland: Amateur or Professional Politics 103 Fiscal Decentralisation 106 Local Government Administrative Capacity 107 The Paradoxes of Public Administration in Small States 111 References 115 7 The Future of Subnational Government in Small States 120 References 124 Index 126 "Small states are mostly excluded from comparative research, and also from studies on local politics. This outstanding book effectively fills this void by providing the first comprehensive analysis of subnational governance in small states. It is full of fascinating findings, and productively combines a comparative analysis of small states around the world with an in-depth analysis of local government in Iceland." - Wouter Veenendaal, Assistant Professor, Institute of Political Science, Leiden University, Belgium This book explores the development of subnational government in small states, using Iceland as a model and comparing it with small states of similar population size as well as those with larger populations. The book examines subnational government from the perspective of small state theory, providing a comprehensive overview of the basic data on subnational government for all small states with between 100,000 and 1 million inhabitants. It presents Iceland as a model for decentralization in small states, providing detailed information on the country's organization at the subnational level, and highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of decentralizing tasks from central to subnational government. Demonstrating the difference population size makes when it comes to successfully decentralizing tasks to subnational governments, this book is intended for scholars, students and practitioners alike. Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Iceland. She teaches courses in Public Administration and Political Science and has researched political and organizational leadership, local governance and public administration. Her latest publication is Gender in Organization: The Icelandic Female Council Manager Front Matter ....Pages i-ix Introduction (Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir)....Pages 1-7 Conceptualising Key Concepts (Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir)....Pages 9-28 Decentralisation to Subnational Governments in Small States (Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir)....Pages 29-56 The Nordic Local Government Model: The Icelandic Way (Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir)....Pages 57-73 Urbanisation in a Small State: The Case of Iceland (Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir)....Pages 75-91 The Choice Between Efficiency and Tradition (Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir)....Pages 93-112 The Future of Subnational Government in Small States (Eva Marín Hlynsdóttir)....Pages 113-118 Back Matter ....Pages 119-122