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The results of survey, Municipal Governance in Modern Russia, was conducted in 2003 – 2004 by the Institute for Urban Economics (IUE), are presented in the paper. The primary goal of the research is to take an inventory of the experience accumulated by the cities in the field of managing local development, focusing on such important parameters as local leaders' awareness of new management technologies and popularity of such technologies, activity of municipalities at inter-municipal level, technical equipment of administrations. The study of the present status of municipal governance in Russia is all the more important now, with the beginning of a critically new period in the development of Russian cities. Internal and external factors of various nature determine the beginning of this period. On the one hand, relative economic stability in the country and experience accumulated over the years enabled many cities to turn at last from current problems and institutional reforms to strategic planning of their development. On the other hand, the system of local self-governance itself is being transformed drastically by the state – both in terms of territorial organization and municipal powers and interaction between different levels of government. Further transformation is determined by the new version of the Federal Law, On the General Principles of the Organization of Local Self-Governance in the Russian Federation, passed on October 6, 2003 (#131-FZ). The law will fully come into force on January 1, 2006, but preparatory work is already under way in Russian regions. The following main conclusions can be drawn, based on the survey results. 1.New advanced technologies of municipal governance and instruments of socio-economic development have passed the phase of pilot implementation and are now being disseminated on a mass scale. 2.Network of inter-municipal contacts has become a reality and is functioning actively. 3.Computerization of local administrations and information access of city residents have reached a rather high level. 4.Local self-governments are still faced with their traditional problems, first of all, finances and personnel. 5.Population size is not a decisive factor in institutional development of Russian cities. 6.Almost all sample municipalities are familiar with the new version of the law, On the General Principles of the Organization of Local Self-Governance in the Russian Federation.

To queer urban planning and municipal governance requires explicit civic engagement with sexual and gender minority inclusions, representations and needs in urban plans and policies across departmental and committee silos. This collection questions the hetero-cis-normative assumptions of urban planning and examines the integration of LGBTQ+ issues in municipal governance at the interface of community activism, bureaucratic procedures, and political intervention. The editorial summarizes the contributions to this thematic issue within a tripartite thematic framework: 1) counter-hegemonic reactions to hetero-cis-normativities; 2) queering plans and policies; and 3) governance coalitions and LGBTQ+ activisms.

This book explores sub-municipal units (SMU) role in decision making, decentralized institutional innovation, social innovation and, in rural areas, service delivery. Focusing on fourteen European countries, the book examines the impact of political cultures, administrative traditions and local government systems on the functioning of the SMUs. An under-explored topic in the literature, this book provides a comprehensive, comparative European, thematically broad, descriptive book on sub-municipal governance.#xE032

Intro -- Foreword -- Contents -- List of Figures -- List of Tables -- Chapter 1: Introduction: Decentralization Beyond the Municipal Tier -- Background -- A Common Legal Framework? -- Constitutive Elements of Sub-Municipal Decentralization -- Different in Urban and Rural Areas -- Roles and Benefits of Sub-Municipal Governance -- Criticisms and Reforms -- Results of Empirical Studies -- Questions and Topics for Analysis -- Overview of the Country Chapters -- References -- Chapter 2: Reaching Out to Sub-Municipal Decentralization: An Ongoing Challenge in Belgium -- Introduction -- A Giant City Seeking to Bridge the Gap Vis-à-Vis Its Citizens -- Nine Districts Operating in a City's Gigantic Shadow -- Reaching or Throwing Hands: Antwerp's Pathway of Sub-Municipal Decentralization -- References -- Chapter 3: The "Little Town-Halls" in the Czech Republic: An Unexploited Potential of Functional Decentralization -- Introduction -- Statutory Cities: A Right to Subdivide into Self-­governing Units -- Frequency, Density, Intra-national Diversity, and Reform Drivers -- Role, Scope, and Policy Discretion -- SMU Competencies and Finance -- The SMU Administration -- Politics in SMUs and Citizens' Participation -- Elections and Turnout -- Trust, Legitimacy, and Citizens' Involvement -- Politics and Policy in the SMU: Central Sub-municipal Relations -- Conclusion -- References -- Laws -- Chapter 4: Decentralisation, Democratisation and Delivery: English Sub-municipal Devolution -- Introduction -- Institutional and Organisational Arrangements for Sub-municipal Government in England -- Neighbourhood Bodies -- Government-inspired Schemes -- Service Oversight -- Overview -- Recognising Community or Administrative Convenience: Territorial Upheaval at Sub-municipal Level -- Sub-municipal Devolution: Contribution to Local Government Legitimacy and Responsiveness

Municipal reinvention has been widely employed to improve government efficiency in many US municipalities; however, most of the efforts fail to test its efficiency. This study identifies which strategies of municipal reinvention have improved municipal performance by reducing the price of municipal governance. The data sources employed by this research are 1. 1997 ICMA Reinvention Government: Implementation at the Local Level; 2. the Census Bureau; and 3. the Office of Management and Budgeting, USA. By the zero-truncated negative binomial model, the findings do not support the contention that municipal reinvention decreases the price of municipal governance between mayor-council and council-manager cities. However, local conditions have a significant effect on the cost of the two forms of governments.

This study aims to investigate the social importance of sport in L'Hospitalet de Llobregat. As an instrument for social cohesion and integration, sport has become a very important part of municipal activity. We use two surveys: the Baròmetre, which gathers opinion about municipal services; and satisfaction surveys completed by the users of sports facilities. The sports offer (6.5) receives a better rating than overall municipal management (5.9), and counts for 20.4% of the global assessment of the municipal management. Satisfaction with facilities is 7.3 out of 10, while price receives the lowest mark. Detailed analysis of satisfaction surveys conducted among the population can help the municipal management of sports facilities. Policies that focus only on prices are unlikely to be as effective at improving members' perception of sports facilities as those that also take other aspects into account.

Local government in South Africa (SA) has come a long way from the period when there were over 1200 racially segregated municipalities. From more than 800 municipalities after 1996, they have been merged to currently 284 municipalities which now cover every 'millimetre' of the country, and are focused on growing local economies and maintaining the provision of a lot more diverse and complex basic municipal services to all their citizens and especially to geographical areas and citizens that were previously neglected. This transformed local government environment has brought about many changes in the nature and extent of basic public services delivered at the grassroots level of this developing country with its limited resources and unlimited needs – especially in the areas of potable water supply and sanitation services. This article will firstly highlight the changed environmental context of public service delivery in the local government sphere of the country before the transformation in relevant legislation will be reported on. Subsequently the nature and extent of current realities of local governance, dynamics and challenges regarding the diverse and complex public services by a typical Category B Local municipality will be identified in the real SA out there. The use of the Politics – Administration System Model by Easton for environmental management analysis will also be illustrated. Lastly, for easy classification of typical characteristics and challenging issues in the dynamic municipal government sphere of SA, the SWOT-analysis format will be used. ; https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v5i1.149

Local government in South Africa (SA) has come a long way from the period when there were over 1200 racially segregated municipalities. From more than 800 municipalities after 1996, they have been merged to currently 284 municipalities which now cover every 'millimetre' of the country, and are focused on growing local economies and maintaining the provision of a lot more diverse and complex basic municipal services to all their citizens and especially to geographical areas and citizens that were previously neglected. This transformed local government environment has brought about many changes in the nature and extent of basic public services delivered at the grass- roots level of this developing country with its limited resources and unlimited needs – especially in the areas of potable water supply and sanitation services.This article will firstly highlight the changed environmental context of public service delivery in the local government sphere of the country before the transformation in relevant legislation will be reported on. Subsequently the nature and extent of current realities of local governance, dynamics and challenges regarding the diverse and complex public services by a typical Category B Local municipality will be identified in the real SA out there. The use of the Politics – Administration System Model by Easton for environmental management analysis will also be illustrated. Lastly, for easy classification of typical characteristics and challenging issues in the dynamic municipal government sphere of SA, the SWOT-analysis format will be used.