The Forum of Federations’ Handbook on Local Government in Federal Systems

This book brings together leading scholars and practitioners from around the globe to examine the current roles of and future trends in local government structures and mechanisms in 16 different federal and federal-type countries. In doing so, this volume explores pressing topics such as the institutions of local government, constitutional recognition, financial management, intergovernmental relations, political culture, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the role of local government in federal systems. Contributors to this volume provide a timely and comprehensive account of the integral role local governments play in federal countries and offer fascinating perspectives on how these roles may change as individual federal systems evolve. These individual analyses are contextualized in a comparative perspective in order to gain a holistic understanding of the challenges and opportunities of various local government dynamics in different regions around the world. This is an open access book. Foreword Preface Contents Notes on Contributors Abbreviations List of Figures List of Tables 1 Introduction 2 Argentina 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 3 Australia 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 2.1 Amalgamations 2.2 Metropolitan Regions 2.3 Indigenous Communities 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 7.1 Organised Local Government 7.2 Local–State Relations 7.3 Local–Federal Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 4 Austria 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 5 Brazil 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 6 Canada 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 2.1 Metropolitan Governance 2.2 Special-Purpose Bodies and Unincorporated Areas 2.3 Indigenous Governance 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 5 Financing Local Government 5.1 Property Taxes 5.2 Federal Transfers 6 Supervising Local Government 6.1 Municipal Borrowing 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 7 Ethiopia 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 4.1 Functions and Powers of Woredas 4.2 Functions and Powers of Cities 5 Financing Local Government 5.1 The Revenue-Raising and Expenditure Autonomy of Woredas 5.2 The Revenue-Raising Powers of the Cities 6 Supervising Local Government 6.1 State Supervision Over Local Government 6.2 Federal Supervision of Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 7.1 Local–Federal Relations 7.2 Local–State Relations 7.3 Local-to-Local Interactions 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 8 Germany 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 9 India 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 2.1 Urban Local Bodies 2.2 Governance of Metropolitan Areas 2.3 Parastatal Authorities 2.4 National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCTD) 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 3.1 Constitution Amendment Act 73, 1992 3.2 Constitution Amendment Act 74, 1992 3.3 Panchayats: Extension to Scheduled Areas Act, 1996 3.4 Devolution of Powers 4 Governance Role of Local Government 4.1 Governance Role of Rural Local Bodies or Panchayats 4.2 Governance Role of Urban Local Bodies 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 10 Italy 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 2.1 The Long Tradition of Municipalities 2.2 The Empowerment of Local Government Since the 1990s 2.3 The Many and Complex Types of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 4.1 Municipalities 4.2 Provinces 4.3 Metropolitan Cities 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 11 Mexico 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 12 Nepal 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 13 Nigeria 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 14 South Africa 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 4.1 Governance Institutions 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 15 Spain 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Governments 4 Governance Role of Local Governments 4.1 Municipalities 4.2 Provinces 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 16 Switzerland 1 Country Overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 4.1 Tasks and Functions of Local Government 4.2 Structure of Local Government 4.3 Local Political Systems 5 Financing Local Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 17 United States of America 1 Country overview 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 4 Governance Role of Local Government 5 Financing Local Government 5.1 Public Education and Fiscal Federalism: A Key Case 5.2 Borrowing by Local Governments 5.3 Property Tax Relief and Tax-Parity Issues 5.4 Local Government and Federal Government 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 7.1 City Power—Or State Dominance 7.2 The Special Case Of Washington, DC 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 18 Comparative Conclusions 1 Country Overviews 2 History, Structures, and Institutions of Local Government 2.1 History 2.2 Local Government Institutions 2.2.1 Basic Multipurpose Municipality 2.2.2 Two-Tier Structures 2.2.3 Single-Purpose Municipal Governments 2.2.4 Indigenous Local Government Institutions 2.3 Multiplicity and Consolidation of Local Government Institutions 2.4 Governance of Metropolitan Regions 2.5 Federal Capital Cities 3 Constitutional Recognition of Local Government 3.1 Forms of Constitutional Recognition 3.2 Subnational Constitutional Recognition 3.3 The Significance of Recognition 4 Governance Role of Local Government 4.1 Source of Powers and Functions 4.2 Focus of Powers and Functions 4.3 Institutions Exercising Power 5 Financing Local Government 5.1 Own Revenue Sources 5.2 Transfers 5.3 Expenditure 6 Supervising Local Government 7 Intergovernmental Relations 7.1 State–Local Relations 7.2 Federal–Local Relations 7.3 Organised Local Government 8 Political Culture of Local Governance 9 Covid-19’s Impact on the Role of Local Government 10 Emerging Issues and Trends 10.1 Autonomy 10.2 The Problem of Smallness in Rural Local Bodies 10.3 The Problem of Largeness in Metropolitan Areas 10.4 Globalisation 10.5 Concluding Remarks Index The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use. The publisher, the authors, and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, expressed or implied, with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.