Suchergebnisse

Purpose– The Nordic narrative on local government highlights municipalities' role in social consumption, a model, which is often considered a success story. The purpose of this paper is to apply Gerry Stoker's (2011) theory on local government roles in society to critically analyse the sustainability of the Nordic model.Design/methodology/approach– Drawing on literature review, documents and statistics of Nordic public authorities', the author formulates exploratory theoretical propositions on the sustainability of the Nordic model of local government.Findings– The emphasis placed on welfare task has made Nordic local government overloaded and vulnerable to central government intervention and reforms, resulting in a cumulative process towards an ever narrowing conception of local government.Research limitations/implications– The research results are exploratory. Comparative empirical research is needed to verify the idea.Social implications– The legitimacy of Nordic local government may be challenged because of municipalities' weakening possibilities to discharge their welfare role in a manner that would satisfy citizens' growing needs.Originality/value– The paper is a critical analyses of the sustainability of local government system in Nordic countries. It discusses the possible negative consequences of the overemphasis of the welfare role of local government.

This article, grounded in evaluation research on intermunicipal cooperation, contends that processes of change in local government present specific challenges for evaluation. In the course of data collection, researchers encountered a phenomenon that they called `the rhetorical wall', where there is a wide gap between intentions as expressed at the rhetorical level and what actually occurs.The rhetorical wall indicates the complexity and difficulty of decision-making involved in local government change processes. It also indicates what can be termed `the politics of images', which may be regarded as a new institutionalized rule affecting the behaviour, interpretations and actions of local-level actors. It is suggested that the notions of the rhetorical wall and the politics of images have many implications with regard to evaluation of change in local government.

Due to the national importance of metropolitan areas, central governments seek to make them as attractive and competitive as possible. In many cases, this is done through state control over metropolitan areas and their governance arrangements. This article examines the relationship between state control and metropolitan governance capacity based on a comparative case study of four metropolitan areas: Auckland, Dublin, Montreal and Oslo. These areas represent different models of metropolitan governance, as well as different forms of state control. We studied state control by focusing on political and administrative decentralization: how independently can the metropolitan government make decisions and perform its tasks? The conclusion is that the different dimensions of decentralization are connected to capacity, but not straightforwardly. This study indicates that state involvement through different forms of control can increase metropolitan governance capacity, but only if it is combined with mandate and supportive policy actions.

Due to the national importance of metropolitan areas, central governments seek to make them as attractive and competitive as possible. In many cases, this is done through state control over metropolitan areas and their governance arrangements. This article examines the relationship between state control and metropolitan governance capacity based on a comparative case study of four metropolitan areas: Auckland, Dublin, Montreal and Oslo. These areas represent different models of metropolitan governance, as well as different forms of state control. We studied state control by focusing on political and administrative decentralization: how independently can the metropolitan government make decisions and perform its tasks? The conclusion is that the different dimensions of decentralization are connected to capacity, but not straightforwardly. This study indicates that state involvement through different forms of control can increase metropolitan governance capacity, but only if it is combined with mandate and supportive policy actions.

Cet article propose une analyse de la gouvernance des plateformes urbaines en analysant les principales formes de gouvernance publique et en décrivant le rôle des plateformes dans ce domaine. Nous fusionnons les analyses théoriques et les vues empiriques concernant trois plateformes urbaines mises en place par les plus grandes villes de Finlande pour évaluer la pertinence des plateformes en tant que forme émergente de gouvernance publique locale. Il est plausible de considérer les plateformes comme des hybrides qui intègrent des éléments à la fois des réseaux et des marchés et même, dans une certaine mesure, des hiérarchies. Cependant, les plateformes présentent également des caractéristiques irréductibles, ce qui permet de les percevoir comme un quatrième mode de gouvernance. La logique de plateforme permet de voir la gouvernance de réseau de manière plus large pour considérer l'ensemble plus large de connexions, l'orchestration de logiques multiples et la pensée écosystémique. Remarques à l'intention des praticiens Aujourd'hui, les administrations municipales créent et entretiennent des plateformes urbaines pour rassembler différents acteurs et permettre une collaboration à valeur ajoutée dans la prestation de services, la gouvernance et la planification. Cet article aide les décideurs et les gestionnaires locaux à comprendre la logique de la plateforme en impliquant divers publics dans la création de valeur publique. Lorsqu'ils administrent des plateformes, les gestionnaires publics locaux peuvent utiliser les mêmes méthodes, en grande partie, que pour les réseaux. La gouvernance des plateformes permet cependant de voir les choses plus largement pour considérer l'ensemble plus vaste de connexions, l'orchestration de logiques multiples et la pensée écosystémique.

This article provides an analysis of urban platform governance by mapping out the major forms of public governance and depicting the role of platforms in this field. By fusing theoretical analyses and empirical views from three urban platforms set up by the largest cities in Finland, we assess the relevance of platforms as an emerging form of local public governance. It is plausible to view platforms as hybrids that incorporate features of both networks and markets, and, to some extent, even hierarchies. However, platforms also have some irreducible features, which makes it possible to perceive them as a fourth mode of governance. Platform logic broadens the view of network governance to a broader set of connections, the orchestration of multiple logics and ecosystem thinking. Points for practitioners Today, city governments create and maintain urban platforms to bring together different actors and enable value-added collaboration in service provision, governance and planning. This article helps local policymakers and managers understand platform logic in involving various audiences in the creation of public value. When governing platforms, local public managers may use many of the same methods as with networks. Platform governance, however, extends the view to a broader set of connections, the orchestration of multiple logics and ecosystem thinking.

"Mayor or Manager – Why Changing the Management Model is under Discussion in Municipalities?"
The aim of this study is to produce new knowledge on why municipalities consider changing their management model and what contexts and issues lead to such considerations. Based on previous research we comprise a synthesis about the factors that bring about the need for changing the management model. We use it as an analytical tool in analysing our empirical qualitative data, which consists of Finnish news articles. Our findings strengthen and complement the previous research: the changing operational environment and dissatisfaction with management and distribution of power are the key issues that bring up considerations for changing the management model. Our empirical data analysis comprehends previous research by revealing new factors, the growing demands for local politicians and practical reasons, that may lead to changes in the management model.
Keywords: mayor, manager, management model, municipalities, Finland

Pormestarimalliin kohdistuva kiinnostus on Suomessa kasvanut maltillisesti viime vuosina. Tässä artikkelissa on tarkasteltu niitä aiemmassa tutkimuksessa ja suomalaisessa julkisessa keskustelussa esiintyviä argumentteja, joilla pormestari- ja virkajohtajamalleja perustellaan ja vastustetaan. Artikkeli tuottaa uutta tietoa pormestarimalliin liitetyistä tavoitteista, odotuksista ja uskomuksista. Tutkimuksen empiirinen aineisto koottiin pormestarimallia koskevasta internetistä kerätystä media-aineistosta. Aineisto analysoitiin teorialähtöisesti rakennetun analyysikehikon ohjaamana keskittyen johtamisen ammattimaisuuteen, poliittisen johtamisen vahvistamiseen, demokratian edistämiseen sekä johtamisen selkeyteen liittyviin argumentteihin. Analyysin tuloksena tunnistettiin neljä väittämäparia, jotka tiivistävät pormestarimalliin liittyviä uskomuksia, odotuksia ja tavoitteita. 1) Pormestarimallin uskotaan vahvistavan demokratiaa, mutta keskittävän valtaa. 2) Poliittisen johtamisen uskotaan vahvistuvan, mutta johtamisen epäammattimaistuvan. 3) Pormes- tarimallin avulla uskotaan voitavan murtaa status quo, ja samalla johtamisen aikajänteen arvellaan lyhenevän. 4) Pormestarimallin uskotaan parantavan kunnan ja kuntalaisten välistä suhdetta ja selkeyttävän poliittisen ja virkajohdon välistä suhdetta. Kokonaisuutena tarkastellen pormestarimalliin liitettävät uskomukset, odotukset ja tavoitteet ovat varsin epämääräisiä ja abstrakteja. Pormestarimallilla uskotaan päästävän perustavanlaatuiseen ja kokonaisvaltaiseen kuntajohtamisen muutokseen, jossa muutoksen kohteena ei ole pelkästään kunnan johtohahmo, vaan laajemmin kuntajohtamisen rytmi, suunta ja perusta.

This article, based on narratives of experienced (born between 1945 and 1950) municipal chief executive officers, investigates changes that challenge leadership inlocal government. Four factors emerge: the dissolution of municipal boundaries; cooled relations between the State and municipalities; municipal inhabitants' changing role from participatory residents to exacting customers; and fragmentation oflocal politics. These four changes reveal the diversity of local leaders' everyday environment, illustrating and exploring how day-to-day management takes place in the intersection of more and more complex governance relations.