Municipal amalgamations and their effects: a literature review
Main Author: | |
---|---|
Publication Date: | 2018 |
Format: | Article |
Language: | eng |
Source: | Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
Download full: | https://hdl.handle.net/1822/74982 |
Summary: | Municipal amalgamation reforms have been advocated as ways to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance capacity in local government service provision. Research on the consequences of amalgamations has reached maturity in terms of theories, research designs and methods, justifying a systematic survey of results. This article provides a synthesis of the empirical literature published over the last 20 years, organizing the effects of amalgamations into three categories: economic efficiency and cost savings, managerial implications, and democratic outcomes. Despite the significant variation across countries and reforms, some regularities emerge: cost savings being primarily limited to general administration expenditures (wages, office supplies, and so on), few changes in the quality of local services, and the diminished quality of local democracy. Several studies point to amalgamation reforms experiencing a trade-off between efficiency and democracy. |
id |
RCAP_8c16cd8faa01ee9d89972243c315a56f |
---|---|
oai_identifier_str |
oai:repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt:1822/74982 |
network_acronym_str |
RCAP |
network_name_str |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
repository_id_str |
7160 |
spelling |
Municipal amalgamations and their effects: a literature reviewMunicipal amalgamationsFragmentationEfficiencyCostsDemocratic outcomesSocial SciencesMunicipal amalgamation reforms have been advocated as ways to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance capacity in local government service provision. Research on the consequences of amalgamations has reached maturity in terms of theories, research designs and methods, justifying a systematic survey of results. This article provides a synthesis of the empirical literature published over the last 20 years, organizing the effects of amalgamations into three categories: economic efficiency and cost savings, managerial implications, and democratic outcomes. Despite the significant variation across countries and reforms, some regularities emerge: cost savings being primarily limited to general administration expenditures (wages, office supplies, and so on), few changes in the quality of local services, and the diminished quality of local democracy. Several studies point to amalgamation reforms experiencing a trade-off between efficiency and democracy.Walter de Gruyter GmbHUniversidade do MinhoTavares, António F.2018-122018-12-01T00:00:00Zinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/articleapplication/pdfhttps://hdl.handle.net/1822/74982engTavares, A. F. (2018, March 1). Municipal amalgamations and their effects: a literature review. Miscellanea Geographica. Walter de Gruyter GmbH. http://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2018-00050867-60462084-611810.2478/mgrsd-2018-0005https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/mgrsd-2018-0005info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessreponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãoinstacron:RCAAP2023-07-21T12:47:05Zoai:repositorium.sdum.uminho.pt:1822/74982Portal AgregadorONGhttps://www.rcaap.pt/oai/openaireopendoar:71602024-03-19T19:45:10.033248Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informaçãofalse |
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv |
Municipal amalgamations and their effects: a literature review |
title |
Municipal amalgamations and their effects: a literature review |
spellingShingle |
Municipal amalgamations and their effects: a literature review Tavares, António F. Municipal amalgamations Fragmentation Efficiency Costs Democratic outcomes Social Sciences |
title_short |
Municipal amalgamations and their effects: a literature review |
title_full |
Municipal amalgamations and their effects: a literature review |
title_fullStr |
Municipal amalgamations and their effects: a literature review |
title_full_unstemmed |
Municipal amalgamations and their effects: a literature review |
title_sort |
Municipal amalgamations and their effects: a literature review |
author |
Tavares, António F. |
author_facet |
Tavares, António F. |
author_role |
author |
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv |
Universidade do Minho |
dc.contributor.author.fl_str_mv |
Tavares, António F. |
dc.subject.por.fl_str_mv |
Municipal amalgamations Fragmentation Efficiency Costs Democratic outcomes Social Sciences |
topic |
Municipal amalgamations Fragmentation Efficiency Costs Democratic outcomes Social Sciences |
description |
Municipal amalgamation reforms have been advocated as ways to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enhance capacity in local government service provision. Research on the consequences of amalgamations has reached maturity in terms of theories, research designs and methods, justifying a systematic survey of results. This article provides a synthesis of the empirical literature published over the last 20 years, organizing the effects of amalgamations into three categories: economic efficiency and cost savings, managerial implications, and democratic outcomes. Despite the significant variation across countries and reforms, some regularities emerge: cost savings being primarily limited to general administration expenditures (wages, office supplies, and so on), few changes in the quality of local services, and the diminished quality of local democracy. Several studies point to amalgamation reforms experiencing a trade-off between efficiency and democracy. |
publishDate |
2018 |
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv |
2018-12 2018-12-01T00:00:00Z |
dc.type.status.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion |
dc.type.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/article |
format |
article |
status_str |
publishedVersion |
dc.identifier.uri.fl_str_mv |
https://hdl.handle.net/1822/74982 |
url |
https://hdl.handle.net/1822/74982 |
dc.language.iso.fl_str_mv |
eng |
language |
eng |
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv |
Tavares, A. F. (2018, March 1). Municipal amalgamations and their effects: a literature review. Miscellanea Geographica. Walter de Gruyter GmbH. http://doi.org/10.2478/mgrsd-2018-0005 0867-6046 2084-6118 10.2478/mgrsd-2018-0005 https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/mgrsd-2018-0005 |
dc.rights.driver.fl_str_mv |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
eu_rights_str_mv |
openAccess |
dc.format.none.fl_str_mv |
application/pdf |
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Walter de Gruyter GmbH |
publisher.none.fl_str_mv |
Walter de Gruyter GmbH |
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv |
reponame:Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) instname:Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação instacron:RCAAP |
instname_str |
Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação |
instacron_str |
RCAAP |
institution |
RCAAP |
reponame_str |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
collection |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) |
repository.name.fl_str_mv |
Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos) - Agência para a Sociedade do Conhecimento (UMIC) - FCT - Sociedade da Informação |
repository.mail.fl_str_mv |
|
_version_ |
1799133015245324288 |