Suchergebnisse

The ways of organizing political problem solving in society are not static. A pluralistic dynamic society requires a continious reconsideration and adaption of its political in­stitutions, i.e. political institutionalization. Institutiona­lization demands prior organizing activities among actors for political aims. Organizing activities can be seen both inter­nally, externally or between existing organisations and in­stitutions . The degree of institutionalization reflects the organizing activities' survival capacity. The higher the degree of in­stitutionalization the more likely it is that the organizing activity will become a formally based organisation or institu­tion, or will change the dominating values of organisations or institutions. The degree of institutionalization is discussed using the concepts of adaptability, complexity, autonomy and flexibility. The thesis represents a problem-oriented implementation approach where individuals' joint ways of organizing problem- solving are the basis for analysis of both policy-realization and political institutionalization. Policy is defined as ideas and the ways of creating institutional arrangements in order to realize them. A "policy-problem", defined as the empirical question answered by examining the process of institutionali­zation, is used to study the policy-processes in the field of occupational safety and health. The ways in which individuals collectively organize in order to create a good working environment are studied using the concept of implementation structures. These are defined as phenomenological administrative units of analysis, i.e. groups of individuals empirically judged to take part in solving the policy problem. ; digitalisering@umu

With the introduction of the European Stability and Growth Pact most European members introduced domestic fiscal rules to make all different levels of govern- ment responsible for the control of central public accounts. There is a broad debate on the suitability of the fiscal rules set in the Treaty of Maastricht and in the Stability and Growth Pact. The present PhD's thesis review the evolution of Domestic Stability Pact in Italy (Chapter 1) and empirically investigate two research questions. In Chapter 2 we explore the impact of capital expenditure constraints on investments in public works. After 2008, the Italian central gov- ernment strongly changed financial rules aimed at imposing fiscal discipline on local governments. Municipalities subject to the Domestic Stability Pact (DSP) collided with new stronger expenditure restrictions and tougher punishments for non-compliers. This institutional change allows us to identify a causal relationship between the DSP and investment in public works implementing a "Difference-in- Differences" (D-i-D) design. Being exposed to the Pact reduces investment in public works by 47% and number of auctions by 44%, while increases winning re- bate by 5.5% and number of bidders by 16%. In Chapter 3 we evaluate the effect of a reduction in investment for public works on new firm formation. The results show that the amount invested in public works by local governments is a very important determinant of new firm formation. A one standard deviation decrease in total starting value decreases the entry rate for all firms by 21% and the entry rate for construction firms only by 29%.

The connection between the public library and local government derives from the former's genetic heritage. The case of Sweden would appear to be exemplary in this regard. Our interest derives not only from the evident connection between the development of library services and the high level of autonomy of local bodies, but also from the administrative policy choices implemented to enable local authorities to exercise the autonomy conferred efficiently and on these administrative initiatives' repercussions on library legislation. Sweden has a long-standing tradition of autonomy. Lay and ecclesiastical institutions intermingled until the two administrative spheres were separated in 1862. Simultaneously, town and provincial councils were endowed with powers to levy taxes for their administrative activities and to draw up their own budgets. The wide-ranging reforms introduced since the 1950s have drastically reduced the number of local authorities. This process was engendered by the awareness that an efficient response at local level to the request for services deriving from a modern industrial society entails first and foremost a concentration of resources, possible only for territorial bodies endowed with a sufficiently large population to assure, through taxes, adequate revenues. As regards libraries, state subsidies to town libraries were suspended in 1965, while provincial (or county) libraries are disciplined by a law of 1966 which envisages joint financing by the state and the provincial administration. The new library law enacted in 1996 (no. 1596 of 20 December 1996) is what we in Italy would call a "framework" law and consists of only ten incisive sections. This is a guideline law containing statements of principles, aimed above all at public libraries. The establishment of both town and county libraries is mandatory. As regards financing, local councils fund town library and school library services, while the counties, assisted by the state, fund the provincial library services. The state finances the university libraries, lending centres and special projects. The law pays specific attention to handicapped users and ethnic minorities.

Envisaging political power as dynamic allows the historian to deal with its structures with some sophistication. This paper approaches political power, not as a circumscribed block of bureaucratic elements, but as a complex phenomenon rooted in social reality. The authors explore the dialogue between local and central power, understanding 'dialogue' in its widest sense. Thus the relationships (both amicable and hostile) between local and central spheres of influence are studied. The authors propose a new analytical framework for the study of the config uration of political power in the northern zone of the Iberian peninsula, over a long period of time, which takes in both the post-Roman world a nd the political structures of the early Middle Ages.