Page 88 - RIMD_2012_3
P. 88
88 | Challenges and Obstacles of Local Public Management
Those four aspects of public management are common for State and local
authorities.
For the last two it is therefore important to clarify how public management,
and thus the reform of local public management, is more complex than the
one of the State.
Indeed, local authorities, unlike the State, have limited jurisdiction, usually
dependent on the will of the State, thus of evolutional and even of changing
nature.
As well, their revenues are dependent on the goodwill of the State, which is
sometimes a bit stingy…
At last, their territory of action is submitted both to the will of the State and
to the indirect influence of the European Union, as it was demonstrated dur-
th
th
ing the Conference in Constanta (18 -19 May 2011), organised by the OLA
Network (Observatory on Local Autonomy: www.ola-europe.com), on the
Evolution of regionalization.
The reform of Local public management is thus subject to various Con-
straints (I), even if it offers some interesting and challenging Perspectives
(II).
I. Constraints of Local Public Management
These constraints are twofold: re-thinking an organization (A) and asking the
question of means, specially the financial ones (B).
A. Re-thinking an Organisational Structure
1) The weight of, and the respect for, local history and territorial traditions
are important. But for how long and why do we have to systematically re-
spect them?
In France, for example, we think that the large number of “communes” is a
beautiful democratic heritage of our history. It is even presented as an old
message of local liberties; this is because, in the Middle Ages, the creation of
“communes” was a symbol of the conquest of freedom against the French
lords. However, today, is it still necessary to keep 36 672 municipalities to
be sure of being free?
2) The need of territorial simplification. The time has come to change our
territorial organisation and to accept, as part of the European Union, to
have only two or one level of local authorities: within the State, “Regions”,
when necessary – this is not the case in medium or small States, as in Baltic
States, for example – and, inside the Region, “communes”, or, if necessary,
local joined bodies, as a new type of “commune”.
RIMD – n o 3 – 2012
Those four aspects of public management are common for State and local
authorities.
For the last two it is therefore important to clarify how public management,
and thus the reform of local public management, is more complex than the
one of the State.
Indeed, local authorities, unlike the State, have limited jurisdiction, usually
dependent on the will of the State, thus of evolutional and even of changing
nature.
As well, their revenues are dependent on the goodwill of the State, which is
sometimes a bit stingy…
At last, their territory of action is submitted both to the will of the State and
to the indirect influence of the European Union, as it was demonstrated dur-
th
th
ing the Conference in Constanta (18 -19 May 2011), organised by the OLA
Network (Observatory on Local Autonomy: www.ola-europe.com), on the
Evolution of regionalization.
The reform of Local public management is thus subject to various Con-
straints (I), even if it offers some interesting and challenging Perspectives
(II).
I. Constraints of Local Public Management
These constraints are twofold: re-thinking an organization (A) and asking the
question of means, specially the financial ones (B).
A. Re-thinking an Organisational Structure
1) The weight of, and the respect for, local history and territorial traditions
are important. But for how long and why do we have to systematically re-
spect them?
In France, for example, we think that the large number of “communes” is a
beautiful democratic heritage of our history. It is even presented as an old
message of local liberties; this is because, in the Middle Ages, the creation of
“communes” was a symbol of the conquest of freedom against the French
lords. However, today, is it still necessary to keep 36 672 municipalities to
be sure of being free?
2) The need of territorial simplification. The time has come to change our
territorial organisation and to accept, as part of the European Union, to
have only two or one level of local authorities: within the State, “Regions”,
when necessary – this is not the case in medium or small States, as in Baltic
States, for example – and, inside the Region, “communes”, or, if necessary,
local joined bodies, as a new type of “commune”.
RIMD – n o 3 – 2012
