Following the financial crisis and subsequent impacts of economic slowdown and austerity, the emergence of new local governance models and innovation is a very timely issue. The same goes for identifying new types of funding schemes and fiscal models prompted by austerity with the reduction in financial resources for local governments. This book offers a broad perspective on some of the organizational and financial problems faced by cities and local governments across Europe and analyses the reactions and reforms implemented to address current economic and public finance conditions.The geographical coverage of the case studies, multidisciplinary background of the contributing authors and focus on a multiplicity of issues and challenges that confront local governments, not just financial issues as is often the case, means this book is relevant to a wide readership. The book is written for post-graduate students, advanced undergraduates, and researchers in the multidisciplinary field of local government studies (Public Administration, Geography, Political Science, Law, Economy and Sociology), as well as practitioners working in local government institutions.
Contents: Preface; Introduction, Carlos Nunes Suilva and Jan Bu?ek; Part I : Local self-government finance in Slovakia during the 2008-2011 crisis, Jan Bu?ek and Andrej Sopkuliak; The economic adjustment program impact on local government reform in Portugal, Carlos Nunes Silva; Public services in European countries: between public/municipal and private sector provision - and reverse?, Hellmut Wollmann. Part II: The role of local governance in strengthening cross-border cooperation, Milan Bufon; Failed rescaling of territorial governance in Hungary: what was the gist?, Ilona Palne Kovacs; Local and regional government reform in Croatia: subsidiarity and innovation in an era of austerity, Boris Bakota; Local governance in Belarus: the impact of the economic and financial crisis on the administrative division reform, Bahdan Sarazhynski. Part III: Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and citizen-authority engagement: applying developing world solutions to Europe in an era of fiscal austerity, Stephanie Steels; Regional effects of urban development projects: an innovative tool to support fiscal sustainable urban planning, Anja Brauckmann; The economic crisis impact on the social policy of Ostrova City, Blanka Markova and Iva Ticha; Conclusion, Carlos Nunes Silva and Jan Bu?ek; Index.
