Local autonomy is widely considered a cornerstone of effective governance and democratic participation. A new book, “Dynamics and Issues of Local Autonomy: A Comparative Study“, offers a comprehensive analysis of this crucial concept across 57 countries over three decades (1990-2020).
Based on foundational work of the first Local Autonomy Index by Professor Andreas Ladner and colleagues (LAI 1.0), this volume leverages the updated and refined Local Autonomy Index 2.0 (LAI 2.0) to provide an in-depth, comparative perspective on the multidimensional nature of local autonomy. By examining seven dimensions of local autonomy (legal/financial/organizational autonomy, access, policy scope, political discretion and non-interference), the book moves beyond simplistic measures to offer a nuanced understanding of the underlying factors shaping local autonomy and related governance outcomes across six continents.
The book combines discussions based on quantitative data with qualitative assessments from a network of local government experts. This approach allows for the identification of both broad trends and country-specific nuances in the evolution of local autonomy. Initial findings reveal an overall increase in local autonomy over the past thirty years, particularly in Central and Eastern European nations. However, the book also highlights instances of decreasing autonomy in some countries and a recent slowdown in the growth of certain dimensions like policy scope and financial autonomy.
Beyond these general trends, the book delves into critical issues such as asymmetric decentralization, the organization of local governments, financial autonomy, the alignment of assigned and delivered tasks, the legal-administrative standing of local authorities, the interplay between local and regional autonomy, access pathways to higher levels of government, responses to crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of the European Charter of Local Self-Government, significant instances of decentralization and re-centralization, and the potential impacts of local autonomy on local government legitimacy.
Leading scholars praise “Dynamics and Issues of Local Autonomy” as a “beacon of comparative municipal research” offering fresh insights and shaping future research. The findings also hold significant policy relevance, offering insights for policymakers and practitioners seeking to design and implement effective decentralization reforms and strengthen local governance practices. The cross-national perspective allows for valuable learning from different contexts and the identification of potential pathways for improvement.
Read more (Open Access):
“Dynamics and Issues of Local Autonomy: A Comparative Study” is an Open Access title and is available for download here: https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035337958.
Table of Contents
PART I ASSESSING AND MEASURING LOCAL AUTONOMY
1 The LAI 2.0: project scope, conceptualization of local autonomy, methodology, and contributions
2 Main results and dynamics of local autonomy
3 Self-rule versus interactive rule: towards a cross-national empirical typology of local autonomy
PART II ISSUES OF LOCAL AUTONOMY
4 Asymmetric decentralization at the subnational level: varied arrangements of local autonomy
5 Organizational autonomy
6 Financial autonomy as local democratic space
7 Assigned tasks and tasks delivered
8 Legal regimes and local autonomy: the interaction of administrative supervision and legal protection
9 Regional and local autonomy: comparing measurements of decentralization
10 Pathways of access: configurations of formal and informal channels
11 The impact of global crises on local autonomy
12 The European Charter of Local Self-Government and its impact on local autonomy
13 Rapid changes in local autonomy: a race away from the bottom or a fall from a great height?
14 The potential influences of local autonomy on local government legitimacy
