Suchergebnisse

Public corporate governance guidelines are viewed as a means to increase the transparency and efficiency of fully or partially state-owned organizations. Many OECD countries have thus introduced such guidelines over the past decade. We examine the effects of the introduction of corporate governance guidelines on the governance process and on government entities' portfolio of holdings. The analysis comprises the procedural effects, measured by the level of control, and the resulting effects, measured by the structure of the portfolio, of corporate governance guidelines. The introduction of guidelines at the subnational level in Switzerland has led to a significant increase in government control. However, the effect on government entities' portfolios is not obvious, as the introduction of guidelines does not necessarily lead to a reduction in the overall number of holdings of regional governments, an increase in the participation quota, or an increase in the proportion of public-law institutions in the portfolio.

Public corporate governance guidelines are viewed as a means to increase the transparency and efficiency of fully or partially state-owned organizations. Many OECD countries have thus introduced such guidelines over the past decade. We examine the effects of the introduction of corporate governance guidelines on the governance process and on government entities' portfolio of holdings. The analysis comprises the procedural effects, measured by the level of control, and the resulting effects, measured by the structure of the portfolio, of corporate governance guidelines. The introduction of guidelines at the subnational level in Switzerland has led to a significant increase in government control. However, the effect on government entities' portfolios is not obvious, as the introduction of guidelines does not necessarily lead to a reduction in the overall number of holdings of regional governments, an increase in the participation quota, or an increase in the proportion of public-law institutions in the portfolio.

Within the framework of a national research project 'Monitoring of the Swiss Local Authorities' (Schweizer Gemeindemonitoring), the development of Swiss municipalities has been monitored for almost three decades, focusing on performance, reform, and the political system. To this end, a survey on the Swiss municipal secretaries (Gemeindeschreiber/-innen) and local politicians in the council (executive members) has been conducted periodically at intervals of approximately six years. Over this long period of time, several institutions were involved in the survey process (University of Zurich, University of Bern, University of Lausanne, Swiss Institute for Public Management and ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences). Thanks to a high response rate (more than 80% in 2017), a comprehensive and meaningful database on the development of Swiss municipalities has been created which benefits associations involved in local and regional governance, state institutions, the research community, and the public.

Globally, local authorities are significant players in the provision of public services, and increasingly there has been a strong impetus to improve local service delivery and citizen satisfaction with public services. In recent decades decentralization, usually with the support of international organizations, has become an important reform strategy in many countries. Traditional arguments in favor of such reforms suggest that efficiency and quality gains in the provision of public services are achieved through decentralization along with greater expectations of accountability and responsiveness. But is local really always better? Some scholars warn that there are significant dangers involved in decentralization. For example, local administrations might be understaffed, or financially weak, or they could be captured by local political elites, which could all potentially lead to poorer public service provision.

Die vorliegende Buchpublikation zum Schweizer Gemeindemonitoring gibt einen Überblick über den Zustand und die Entwicklung der Schweizer Gemeinden, wobei Fragen zur Leistungsfähigkeit, zu Reformen sowie zum politisch-administrativen System im Vordergrund stehen.

Die fünfte gesamtschweizerische Gemeindebefragung 2009/2010 gibt einen umfassenden Einblick in den Zustand und die laufenden Reformen der Gemeinden in der Schweiz. 58 Prozent der 2408 Schweizer Gemeinden haben sich an der Erhebung beteiligt und ermöglichen dadurch Aussagen zur wahrgenommenen Leistungsfähigkeit der Gemeinden, den Reformen des politisch-administrativen Systems, zur interkommunalen Zusammenarbeit und Gemeindefusionen sowie zu den Reformen der Aufgabenteilung zwischen Kanton und Gemeinden aus kommunaler Perspektive.Dank der vorhandenen langjährigen Datenbasis erlaubt die Studie Aussagen zur Entwicklung der Gemeinden seit den 1990er Jahren. Das Monitoring wird gemeinsam durch die Universität Bern und das IDHEAP in Lausanne durchgeführt.