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New updated edition of a comprehensive text which reveals how British local government really works. Now covers new management structures and the impact of Conservative reforms on finance and services.

The article discusses "local self-government", a core concept in a charter of the Council of Europe, and departs from a debate in the Norwegian Parliament about constitutional protection of local self-government. Newly, such a change was voted down, and this serves as an opportunity to question the idea about local self-government in a time when there are claims about a shift from government to governance. The article provides examples of co-governance in Norway, and argues that the meaning given by "local self-government" is not obvious. It also points to some possible issues in a future revision of the mentioned charter.

KEYWORDS: • self-government • co-governance • governance • Norway • Council of Europe

The development of local radio in Britain was expected to have significant and positive effects on local political communication. This article discusses the extent and character of local radio's engagement with the local political system, drawing upon some of the evidence obtained from a wide‐ranging study of what radio stations are doing. The nature of local government coverage is discussed, with appropriate examples. The limitations of local radio's engagement with the local political system are highlighted, reflected in both the quantity and quality of its coverage. Some reasons for these limitations are suggested (size of local radio areas, lack of expertise in local government matters, attitudes of broadcasters) and the need to overcome them is stressed if the original promise of local radio in this field is to be fulfilled.

International audience ; When studying local development, we find that decentralization and local governance are inseparable factors that contribute strongly into the efficiency of local development attempts. Decentralization gives local authorities more responsibilities and freedom of action without having to refer to central institutions. Enhanced local governance allows the establishment of strategies that better cope with local needs, reduces opposition and corruption, and increases cooperation between local actors. In this paper we intend to compare the effect of local governance on the performance of French as well as Lebanese ski resorts or stations of ski. We will show how the models of governance applied in French stations contribute to their development while those applied in Lebanese stations constitute a barrier to their development.

International audience ; When studying local development, we find that decentralization and local governance are inseparable factors that contribute strongly into the efficiency of local development attempts. Decentralization gives local authorities more responsibilities and freedom of action without having to refer to central institutions. Enhanced local governance allows the establishment of strategies that better cope with local needs, reduces opposition and corruption, and increases cooperation between local actors. In this paper we intend to compare the effect of local governance on the performance of French as well as Lebanese ski resorts or stations of ski. We will show how the models of governance applied in French stations contribute to their development while those applied in Lebanese stations constitute a barrier to their development.

Over the past couple of decades, the level of turnout in Norwegian local elections has shown a steady d. This decline is paralleled by a greater range of variation in turnout across Norwegian municipalities. Arguing from the perspective of rational utility‐maximizing voters, the article examines to what extent such variations in the level of turnout may be accounted for by the policy performance of local authorities – in addition to certain structural features of the municipalities and local communities. Using aggregate data on turnout and measures of policy performance. the analysis testifies to the suggestion that policy exerts an influence in determining the level of turnout, indicating a turn in the direction of more rational voting behaviour as far as local elections arc concerned. It is also evident from the analysis that the appearance of smaller single‐issue parties does have a mobilizing effect in local elections while the Downsian suggestion about the effect of party competition on turnout levels is not supported by the mule of the analysis.

AbstractUsing US county‐level data, we employ a difference‐in‐difference approach to model the effect of direct to consumer local foods activity on local economic performance. We find no evidence that growth in local foods activity is linked to economic performance measured by per capita income and some evidence of a decline in employment. These results casts doubts on the notion that the promotion of local foods can improve the performance of local economies. While the local foods market can present viable business opportunities for some producers, the overall size of the market is too thin to influence overall local economic performance.

Security in Afghanistan has historically required a combination of top-down efforts from the central government and bottom-up efforts from local communities. Since 2001, U.S. and broader international efforts have focused on establishing security solely from the top down through Afghan national security forces and other central government institutions. But local security forces are a critical complement to these efforts, especially in rural areas of the country. The Afghan government and NATO forces need to move quickly to establish a more-effective bottom-up strategy to complement top-down efforts by better leveraging local communities. The Afghan government can work with existing community structures that oppose insurgents to establish village-level policing entities, such as arbakai and chalweshtai, with support from NATO. Effectively leveraging local communities should significantly improve counterinsurgency prospects and can facilitate mobilization of the population against insurgents. This analysis documents lessons about the viability of establishing local security in Afghanistan and addresses concerns about the wisdom of such policies

THIS ARTICLE ASSESSES THE PERFORMANCE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN IMPLEMENTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT BY FOCUSING PARTICULARLY ON ARGUMENTS ABOUT THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF UNITED KINGDOM (UK) LOCAL AUTHORITIES. BY THE END OF 1996, THESE UK LOCAL AUTHORITIES SHOULD HAVE COMPLETED A LOCAL AGENDA 21 (LA21) STRATEGY DOCUMENT, INDICATING HOW THEY WILL MOVE TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE GOALS IN THEIR LOCALITY. THIS ARTICLE EXAMINES THE IMPACT THUS FAR OF LA21 AND ITS ASSOCIATED PROBLEMS, AND IT EXAMINES HOW THE LOCAL AUTHORITY SECTOR HAS RESPONDED COMPARATIVELY FAVORABLY TOWARDS THE AGENDA DEVELOPED AT RIO'S EARTH SUMMIT.

El desarrollo local tiene como objetivo la mejora general de la población, que se pretende alcanzar de acuerdo con la voluntad consensuada y responsable de los diferentes agentes sociales, políticos y económicos que comparte un territorio concreto, a partir de la previa identificación y aprovechamiento de los recursos y potencialidades endógenas. Desde la difusión del término sostenible, a principios de la década de los 90 del siglo pasado, se ha ido consolidando el concepto de desarrollo local sostenible, mediante el que se ha promovido la idea de que el progreso local, además de económicamente viable, sea equitativo desde el punto de vista social y respetuoso desde la perspectiva ambiental. En el caso español, y muy concretamente en las Islas Baleares, el análisis en profundidad de las estrategias seguidas para conseguir un desarrollo sostenible a escala local permite detectar éxitos y fracasos, así como las importantes dificultades con las que ha topado la propuesta a la hora de ser interpretada, adoptada y mantenida. Y si en tiempo de bonanza, las razonables dudas de la clase política y el oscilante grado de implicación de los ciudadanos han hecho que iniciativas como la Agenda 21 Local (A21L) hayan tenido diferente nivel de implantación y permanencia, el distanciamiento entre los poderes públicos y la ciudadanía ha puesto a prueba la capacidad de los actores locales para activar los mecanismo tradicionales de desarrollo local frente a la crisis y adoptar nuevas fórmulas de organización colectiva y de resiliencia. ; Local development has the goal f improving overall population by the will consensual and responsible of the various social, political and economic actors that share a specific territory. For that it is necessary the identification and exploitation of endogenous resources and potentialities. Since the diffusion of sustentable term in the early 90s of the last century, the concept of sustainable local development has been consolidated. This concept promoted the idea that local progress, as well as economically viable, has to be equitable from the standpoint of social and friendly with the environmental perspective. In the Spanish case, specifically in the Balearic Islands, the in-depth analysis of the strategies for achieving sustainable development at local level, allows to detect successes and failures, as well as the significant difficulties that the proposal has encountered at the momentum of being interpreted, adopted and maintained. If initiatives such as Local Agenda 21 (A21L) have had different levels of implementation and permanence depending on the political class and the participation level of citizens, the current distance between government and citizens has tested the ability of local actors to activate traditional local development mechanisms and adopt new forms of collective organization and resiliency.

At head of title: Princeton University, Princeton Local Government Survey. ; Mode of access: Internet.